Weirs on the River Dodder

 There are some spectacular weirs on the River Dodder in Dublin but some of them as shown below are in urgent need of repair

Fishing on the River Dodder

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

I was walking past a well known Fishing Tackle Shop in Dublin today and saw fishing permits for the River Dodder on sale. It is not a huge river but hugely popular for fishing which is controlled by the Dodder Anglers Club and also of course the riparian owners. The Club supplements the natural fish stocks annually by restocking with brown trout ranging from 4 -16 ounces with sea trout occurring at Ballsbridge. At €10 for adults and €5 for juniors it  really is a remarkably cheap permit, especially as the river flows through Greater and Central Dublin and this is where the best fishing is to be found. A useful introduction to the Dodder is the recent catchment flood report commissioned by Dublin City Council. Link

American Mink in the River Dodder

Yesterday students from my undergraduate freshwater biology course and myself were out surveying the River Dodder in the heart of suburban Dublin. To our surprise we were able to observe mature American Mink patrolling the opposite bank completely at home and oblivious to all the activity going on. I have very rarely seen mink in the wild and was surprised to see it so well adapted to its urban environment. This voracious predator has had devastating impact on river wildlife, especially water voles, which are now classed as endangered, as well as wildfowl (e.g. moorhens, coots, widgeon and teal) and of course fish. It is perhaps our most problematic invasive species. This sighting comes at a time when the University of Aberdeen is leading a major eradication scheme in a number of Scottish rivers. So far 10,000 sq km of land in north-east Scotland has been cleared of mink. Below is an excellent video from the BBC of biologist Jamie Urquhart (River Don Trust) showing science reporter Rebecca Morelle how the mink are caught.