The Burrishoole Catchment

The Burrishoole catchment is one of the few index sites where the movements of diadromous fish into and out of the North Atlantic can be monitored. Partial trapping facilities between Lough Feeagh and Furnace were put in place in 1959 under the auspices of the Salmon research Trust (SRT) which was funded by the Guinness Company. Complete traps on the two lake outlets were in place by 1970. The research station was subsequently handed over to the Irish state in 1989, and renamed the Salmon research Agency of Ireland (SRAI). In 1999, the SRAI was amalgamated into the Marine Institute.

In order to provide an ecological background to the fish data collected in the traps, a comprehensive catchment monitoring programme has been developed. Some of the data from this programme are available on this website. Additional data are available by submitting a request here: www.marine.ie/Datarequests. For Burrishoole Catchment metadata please visit the Irish Spatial Data Exchange.