Freshwater

ECOFACT has extensive specialist experience in conducting a wide range of ecological field assessments in relation to the freshwater environment. Across the range of our freshwater services we have demonstrable scientific and professional experience in the completion of studies ranging from one-off biological water quality assessments to ongoing water quality monitoring and fisheries and freshwater habitat management.

Freshwater consultancy services provided by ECOFACT have included ecological impact assessments for major infrastructures schemes, catchment wide surveys for salmon and lamprey species and national monitoring programmes for protected aquatic species such as white-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes. The output of some of our major assessments has been published in the Irish Wildlife Manual Series by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Key freshwater services offered by ECOFACT include:

• Classification of WFD surface water status
• River corridor habitat surveys including riparian and wetland habitat assessments
• Macroinvertebrate sampling including identification, enumeration, functional group analysis and statistical analysis of communities present
• Macrophyte, phytoplankton and phytobenthos sampling and evaluation
• Biological Quality Assessments utilising the following schemes: Q-ratings, BMWP, ASPT, TBI, SSRS, TDI, MARES, LEAFPACS, RICT, FCS, DARLEQ, CPET, and LAMM
• Surveys for and management of protected aquatic invertebrates including freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifiera margaritifiera and white-clawed crayfish
• Fisheries assessments including electrical fishing, netting, lamprey surveys, eel surveys, rare species assessments

Specialist fisheries services include:

• Fisheries Habitat Appraisals
• Fish Stock Assessments (including electrical fishing and netting surveys)
• Surveys of Annex II Listed Species including salmon and lamprey species and additional protected fish species
• Fish Counter Advice and Installation
• Fish Pass Design
• Recreational and Commercial Fisheries evaluations
• Monitoring of Construction/Riparian Works for Impacts on Fisheries
• Fish Kill Investigations
• Hatchery Management
• Statistical Analysis of Fisheries Data
• Habitat Creation and Enhancement of Freshwater Habitat for fisheries and protected aquatic species