Letters to the Editor: Death of ranunculus in our river systems

We must do is rectify this with protocols of good riparian practice

The ranunculus crowsfoot weed binds into its root system all the loose muds, sands, and silts which otherwise migrate downstream to cause all sorts of problems there, leaving lovely clean gravel between the plants for spawning. File picture

We see that Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has managed to get substantial funding for the purpose of demolishing or semi-demolishing a large number of weirs around the country. These, it seems, are responsible for blocking our salmon from going upstream to spawn. What salmon?

These weirs were an integral part of the riparian ecosystem for several hundred years and helped create some of the finest salmon angling rivers in these islands.