Agency in North seeks Asian hornet advice from Waterford centreOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\nSince the Asian Hornet\u2019s moment of fame, the NBDC has issued another alert, this time for the Demon Shrimp. <\/p>\n
It was detected in late September in the Shannon below Lough Derg and while it is unknown how it got to Ireland from its Black Sea stronghold, it is \u201clikely to have hitchhiked on watercraft or angling equipment\u201d. <\/p>\n
Highly adaptable and a prolific breeder with an appetite for shrimp flesh of local varieties, it could massively disrupt the food chains and ecosystems of rivers and lakes where nature is already struggling.<\/p>\n
But at just 18mm long, almost transparent in colour and residing underwater, it won\u2019t be making any high-profile appearance in Coughlan\u2019s beer garden. <\/p>\n
The invisibility of many invasive species to the general public makes preventing their spread more difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything that occurs below the water surface is not seen by many of the public,\u201d says John Kelly, invasive species programme manager at the NBDC. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo the best we can do is keep these species out, which is why everybody needs to practice biosecurity.\u201d <\/p>\n
Biosecurity means measures to prevent the accidental or deliberate introduction or spread of plants, animals and pathogens to places where they do not naturally occur and where they are likely to cause harm. <\/p>\n
On the evidence to date, Ireland needs to take more such measures. <\/p>\n
Almost 1,300 non-native species are established in the country, most of them without causing much disruption, but around 50, labelled invasive alien species (IAS), are troublemakers. <\/p>\n
Some are so familiar that they have worked their way into the country\u2019s affection. <\/p>\n
The rhododendron, famed for its fabulous flowers, and the grey squirrel, with its bold behaviour and entertaining antics, are examples. <\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/TRO3M4U36VGD3KK2HS5QJYTGGU.jpg\")
The Rhododendron ponticum in the summer bears pretty purples flowers which belie the damage they cause. Photograph: iStock\/Getty Images <\/p>\n
The former has aggressively pushed out Irish trees and plants and the latter has all but replaced the native red squirrel. <\/p>\n
More recently, coypus, raccoons and wild boar have joined the high-risk IAS list, their appearance in the wild presumed to be the result of escape from exotic pet owners. <\/p>\n
The European brown hare is also now in Ireland, threatening the smaller native Irish hare. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe it was brought over for coursing,\u201d says Kelly with a sigh. <\/p>\n
Zebra mussel, quagga mussel, Asian clam and various other aquatic creatures that cause havoc in Ireland\u2019s freshwater habitats, most likely came attached to boats or fishing equipment. <\/p>\n
Climate change is exacerbating the problem by altering habitats and habits in the natural world. <\/p>\n
\u201cSome species will come because of the warming climate,\u201d Mr Kelly says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey might not be able to survive here today but as the climate warms up, they might be able to survive and reproduce. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn the marine environment, we\u2019re getting more marine heatwaves that can lead to stress on native species while providing the conditions non-native species like.\u201d <\/p>\n
Global shipping, passenger ferries and recreational yachting provide stowaway opportunities for invasive species, and tourists can also be unwitting facilitators. <\/p>\n
Dr Domhnall Melly, lecturer in tourism at the Atlantic Technical University, makes the case for having a national biosecurity strategy, covering over all the ways invasive species can enter Ireland, including tourism. <\/p>\n
![\"Wild](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/HRWNC3Q72JCHTACOKW3AK5W3OQ.jpg\")
Wild European hare. Photograph: iStock <\/p>\n
With hiking, biking, angling and water sports of increasing importance to tourism, he says the risks of accidentally introducing a harmful species needs to be better communicated to visitors. <\/p>\n
He says information about checking equipment and cleaning mud off footwear and gear should be included at every stage of a visitor\u2019s journey \u2013 through their tour operator, on pre-arrival cards and at the point of arrival. <\/p>\n
Mobile apps, common in New Zealand, could be a good tool for reinforcing the message during a visitor\u2019s stay. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt has to be done in a way that harmonises good biosecurity practice with the activities that tourists are engaging in,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately if we continue on the route of introducing invasive species, we lose the very environment that brings people here.\u201d <\/p>\n
Education and communication campaigns have been used before.<\/p>\n
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) with Inland Fisheries Ireland, the NBDC and other agencies have run \u2018check, clean, dry\u2019 campaigns at locations of concern, urging boat owners and anglers to sanitise their equipment before moving from land to water and back. <\/p>\n
The European Commission said more robust action was needed and referred Ireland to the EU Court of Justice in 2023 for failing to introduce stronger legislation with penalties for offenders. <\/p>\n
In 2024, the Government responded by introducing the European Union (Invasive Alien Species) Regulations. <\/p>\n
The Department of Housing which oversees the issue said: \u201cWork on implementation of these new regulations is under way.\u201d <\/p>\n
Older regulations, including the Wildlife Act, were also meant to control invasive species but the department said the NPWS had \u201cno record of prosecutions or convictions under IAS regulations\u201d.<\/p>\n
Regulation and education will be increasingly important as Kelly says a \u201cwhole host\u201d of new invasive species are making their way closer to Ireland. <\/p>\n
But so too will observation, which is where people like O\u2019Leary come in. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever Asian hornet queens that weren\u2019t got in the nests are hibernating now but they\u2019ll be out next spring so I really hope there\u2019s a good public awareness campaign then to alert people,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019d been buried in my phone instead of looking around me and if I hadn\u2019t been able to grab a photo, we might have been none the wiser that the hornet was here until it was too late. That\u2019s leaving a lot to chance.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If David O\u2019Leary hadn\u2019t let his eye wander in a suburban beer garden last summer, the battle against…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15134,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[851,1712,61,10914,60,3094,4875,43,13354],"class_list":["post-107888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-biodiversity","tag-european-commission","tag-ie","tag-inland-fisheries-ireland","tag-ireland","tag-national-biodiversity-data-centre","tag-national-parks-and-wildlife-service","tag-news","tag-university-college-cork-ucc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/G5XHEWIHWJH2JGDD4SOKCKRYVY.jpg\")
An Asian hornet (Vespa velutina). <\/p>\n