Burrishoole Catchment Monitoring Programme

We study how rivers, lakes, fish, and environmental conditions in the Burrishoole catchment near Newport change over time.

Where the research happens

Our research station sits in a catchment of rivers and lakes that flow into the sea. This natural laboratory supports research on freshwater and brackish ecosystems. We work with local landowners, Coillte, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to monitor how land use, climate change, and water conditions affect salmon and sea trout.

What we’re trying to understand

We collect data across the catchment to answer simple but important questions:

How healthy are our rivers and lakes?
How is climate change affecting water and fish?
What might explain changes in fish numbers over time?

How we monitor the lakes

Automatic monitoring stations on two key lakes run year-round and provide a continuous picture of lake health.

Lough Feeagh

Monitoring measures oxygen, pH, water clarity, carbon dioxide, and organic matter. It tracks water temperature from the surface to depth and includes data from 2004 to the present.

Lough Furnace

Monitoring collects measurements similar to those from Lough Feeagh, with detailed readings from the surface to the lake bed. This is important because Lough Furnace contains layers of fresh and salty water.

Monitoring across the catchment

River sensors, ecological surveys, water sampling, and weather stations connect environmental conditions with changes in fish and other wildlife.

River conditions

Four river monitors measure oxygen, temperature, pH, and water clarity. High-resolution sensors track water temperature across different areas, while rainfall and water-level measurements show how weather and land use affect rivers.

Fish and wildlife

Annual surveys measure young salmon, trout, and eel populations. We use electrofishing in rivers, nets in lakes, and macroinvertebrate studies at 16 sites to assess ecosystem health.

Ongoing water sampling

Monthly monitoring in Lough Feeagh and Lough Furnace covers plankton, nutrients, and water clarity. Weekly river samples measure nutrients and water colour, supporting analysis of seasonal and long-term change.

Weather and climate

A manual Met Éireann station and an automatic station operate at Furnace. A third station sits beside Lough Bunaveela at the top of the catchment. They record rainfall, temperature, and weather patterns.

Why this monitoring matters

The programme provides a long-term view of change in a real Irish catchment. For people who spend time beside rivers or the coast, the research helps explain:

why water conditions change
how fish populations rise or fall
what climate change might mean for local ecosystems