Zebra mussels in our lakes

IT is argued that Ireland would have few laws to protect our environment and wildlife if the EU had not imposed legislation on us.

It is also claimed that EU environment laws are too severe. Equally, it could be claimed that the EU is not sufficiently active in curbing the relentless spread of invasive species, both animal and plant. Japanese knotweed keeps extending its range, while American mink are wreaking havoc on other wildlife.

Not that all invasive species should be eliminated. Fuschia has become a delightful part of the landscape, adorning ditches and hedgerows, especially in West Cork and Kerry. Fuschia is even used to promote tourism and food products. Not so welcome is the dreaded zebra mussel, which has become a pest on many Irish lakes, including the River Shannon. This invader is easily spread to other locations, by boats and on the footwear of anglers and others.

The lakes of Killarney, hugely important locally and nationally for recreation and tourism, have escaped the zebra mussel. Not that there’s any room for complacency. Killarney’s Cllr Michael Gleeson has called for a concerted effort to ensure that the mussel does not enter the lakes.

The zebra mussel upsets the existing eco-system and has a harmful effect on the long-established life of a lake. The food that has, for centuries, fed larvae and other forms of lake life, becomes the food of the zebra. This is particularly serious, as the mussel breeds prolifically. Zebra mussels attach themselves to boat hulls and engines. They easily enter water intake pipes and treatment plants. They do damage and reduce the effectiveness of such vital units. This would harmfully impact the sewage treatment plant in Killarney, which discharges to the lower lake, and result in further pollution to the lake waters.

Mr Gleeson, who said the main risk to the lakes is from the free movement of boats, called on the National Parks and Wildlife Service to install modern decontamination units in appropriate locations. Meanwhile, despite calls for legislation on invasive species in recent years, firm action is still awaited at EU level.