![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/000a846a-614.jpg\"\/)
\nThe first confirmed case of the Quagga mussel has been reported in Lower Lough Erne<\/p>\n
The discovery of an invasive species of mussel for the first time in Northern Ireland will add further pressure to the “beleaguered” freshwater system, Environment Minister Andrew Muir has said.<\/p>\n
The first confirmed case of the Quagga mussel has been reported in Lower Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh.<\/p>\n
Quagga mussels originate from Eastern Europe and can threaten native animals and plants.<\/p>\n
They can also block water pipes, which can cause flooding and infect water supplies.<\/p>\n
Officials are now identifying other waterways in the region to be checked for the presence of the species.<\/p>\n
Scientists from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) collected samples that were confirmed following DNA analysis at Queen’s University Belfast.<\/p>\n
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said the Quagga mussel is a small bivalve mollusc similar to the invasive non-native zebra mussel.<\/p>\n
The species has spread rapidly from its native region in Ukraine during the last few decades through Western Europe and to North America and Mexico.<\/p>\n
It was first recorded in Britain in 2014 and in Loughs Ree and Derg in Ireland and in the main River Shannon system in 2021.<\/p>\n
The department said Quagga occupy a wider range of depths than zebra mussels and will eventually outcompete and displace them.<\/p>\n
They can spread through recreational boating, angling traffic, trailered craft travelling overland and the transfer of equipment such as paddle boards or canoes.<\/p>\n
\nThe first confirmed case of the Quagga mussel has been reported in Lower Lough Erne<\/p>\n
Mr Muir said: “This confirmation that the highly invasive Quagga mussel has arrived in Northern Ireland represents another significant pressure to our already beleaguered freshwater system.<\/p>\n
“Increased vigilance and surveillance is critical.<\/p>\n
“My officials are engaging with stakeholders and public agencies to alert them to this arrival and the need for enhanced biosecurity measures.<\/p>\n
“Cross-border engagement also continues through the Shared Island Biosecurity and Invasive Species Initiative.”<\/p>\n
Rose Muir from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) invasive non-native species team said: “There is no effective control or eradication method for Quagga mussel once it has established in a water body.<\/p>\n
“The best method of slowing the spread and reducing the risk to other water bodies is by applying better biosecurity through the Check, Clean, Dry approach.<\/p>\n
“We are urging all water users to follow this protocol strictly when moving between water bodies.”<\/p>\n
Dr Kevin Gallagher, senior scientific officer at the AFBI, said: “The confirmation of Quagga mussel in Lower Lough Erne is significant given the connectivity of major water bodies.<\/p>\n
“Once established, this species can spread rapidly and cause substantial ecological and economic impacts, including altered food webs and infrastructure fouling.<\/p>\n
“This underlines the need for enhanced surveillance across connected systems, including Lough Neagh, and strict biosecurity to limit further spread.”<\/p>\n
Daera said the arrival of the Quagga most likely came from a connected invasion along the Shannon-Erne corridor.<\/p>\n
A statement said: “It is therefore plausible that Quagga are already present but undetected in intermediate waterbodies, including Upper Lough Erne.”<\/p>\n
Officials are planning to identify those waters that should also be sampled by assessing the potential pathways for the spread of Quagga mussels into other water bodies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The discovery of an invasive species of mussel for the first time in Northern Ireland will add further…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194177,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-194176","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194176","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=194176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}