Alien invasion of Lough Foyle causes agencies to cry 'fowl'

AN alien species is invading Lough Foyle jeopardising local grass species on which indigenous wildfowl are dependent.

Common Cord Grass is multiplying at coastal sites in Lough Foyle, the Roe Estuary and across Northern Ireland and environmental protection agencies are worried.

So much so that the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) in partnership with the National Trust has launched a programme to tackle the invasive alien species Common Cord Grass around the coast of Northern Ireland.

The Common Cord Grass (Spartina anglica) has invaded coastal sites at Lough Foyle, Roe Estuary, Carlingford Lough and Murlough Bay.

The NIEA-led Spartina Control Group has warned that the colonisation of the Common Cord Grass poses a serious threat to many of our fragile coastal habitats by disrupting our biodiversity.

Much of the coastline of Northern Ireland provides homes and resting places, as well as food, for a wide range of internationally important species.

Areas such as Lough Foyle provide a valuable feeding ground for wintering bird populations. They warn that the Common Cord Grass threatens to invade these feeding areas.

The control programme, organised in partnership with the National Trust, began last week and will be phased in over several years to allow for the eradication of small patches of Spartina and for the gradual longer term control of larger swards.

John Early, of the NIEA and the Spartina Control Group, said: "This grass invades our natural estuary habitat causing serious loss to our native biodiversity.

“It originated through the hybridisation of the introduced Smooth Cord Grass, from America, with our native Small Cord Grass. It spreads rapidly enabling it to quickly colonise areas and subsequently outcompete our native biodiversity."

The first planting of the species in Northern Ireland took place at Belfast Lough in 1929 where it never successfully established. It was subsequently introduced into Strangford Lough in the 1940s prior to its negative effects becoming known.

From that initial successful introduction it has successfully established at several coastal sites around Northern Ireland.

Further information on invasive species can be found on the Invasive Species Ireland website.