Week 8 - CIWEM workshop -Freshwater Pearl Mussel Breeding Programme & Catchment Monitoring.

"We speak for them because they can't speak for themselves." - Frank Mitchell

I had the privilege of attending the BALLINDERRY RIVERS TRUST workshop in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. It was a fantastic opportunity to get first hand experience with the Freshwater Pearl Mussel conservation programme and the integrated catchment management efforts undertaken by the Ballinderry Rivers Trust.

Special thanks to the CIWEM NI and the CIWEM ROI branches for organising this annual joint field trip.

The Freshwater Pearl Mussel (FWPM) is NI's most endangered freshwater species, and the Ballinderry Rivers Trust is at the forefront of its conservation efforts in NI.

During the workshop, I had the opportunity to visit the trust's FWPM breeding facility, where the team works with a small breeding population of FWPM to improve the recruitment levels in the catchment. The trust reintroduces approximately 200 juveniles per year back into suitable areas of the catchment and they have provided population reinforcement with over 3,000 juveniles bred since the beginning of the program.

The highlight of the visit was the chance to hold several FWPMs, with the oldest individual being over 100 years old!! It was a humbling experience to connect with these amazing animals; experiences like this help to connect people to the importance of conserving vulnerable species.

In addition to the FWPM breeding facility, we also visited a local farm to learn about the trust's catchment-based management approach and their community-based work with 72 farmers(and growing). I learned a lot about the variety of innovative soft and hard engineering techniques that can be implemented to improve water quality, reduce siltation and to restore rivers to a more natural hydrological state. One of the most interesting was the use of conifer tree waste cuttings as silt traps to rebuild the banks of eroded rivers.

The team's dedication to the catchment and to supporting the conservation of vulnerable species in the region was truly moving. Seeing their commitment and witnessing their creative, lateral thinking in collaborating with the community to address challenges faced by landowners and the catchment, all aimed at improving the environment, was genuinely inspiring.

This was a fantastic workshop, and I really appreciate the opportunity to have been a part of it and to learn from the expertise of the Ballinderry Rivers Trust.