White-clawed Crayfish Austropotamobius Pallipes survey in designated SACs in 2017

Abstract

White-clawed Crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes surveys were carried out between June and September 2017 in all 15 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC)for which the species is listed as a qualifying interest: Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC; Bricklieve Mountains and Keishcorran SAC; Glenade Lough SAC; Kilroosky Lough Cluster SAC; Lough Bane and Lough Glass SAC; Lough Corrib SAC; Lough Gill SAC; Lough Hoe Bog SAC; Lough Lene SAC; Lough Nageage SAC; Lough Owel SAC; Lower River Suir SAC; River Barrow and River Nore SAC; River Moy SAC; White Lough, Ben Loughs and Lough Doo SAC. Crayfish were detected in 13 SACs; they were not detected in the two (Lough Bane and Lough Glass SAC and Lough Lene SAC) from which crayfish populations disappeared in the 1980s following presumed outbreaks of Crayfish Plague Aphanomyces astaci. Two SACs (Lower River Suir SAC and River Barrow and River Nore SAC) had confirmed outbreaks of Crayfish Plague in 2017 prior to this survey, but crayfish were detected at unaffected sites in those SACs during this survey. No evidence of Crayfish Plague was found in any other SACs, and no non-indigenous crayfish species were detected ...