Wicklow County Council, in collaboration with East Wicklow Rivers Trust, Inland Fisheries Ireland and the River Basin Management Service, has completed work to improve fish passage on the Three Trouts Stream in Delgany.
The concrete base of The Glebe footbridge at Glenair Manor created a barrier to fish movement, preventing migratory fish from accessing suitable habitats further upstream. With funding from Inland Fisheries Ireland, a natural rock ramp has been installed, allowing fish to pass over the structure. This restoration has reopened previously inaccessible habitat and improved connectivity along the stream.
Restoring connectivity in Wicklow's rivers is especially important for migratory fish, including salmon, sea trout, lamprey, and eel, all of which need to navigate river systems at various stages of their life cycle.
This project forms part of the Wicklow Fish Barrier Mitigation Programme and delivers an action of the County Wicklow Biodiversity Action Plan 2026-2031. The Plan identifies river connectivity as a priority and commits the Council and its partners to addressing barriers to fish movement throughout the county.
Three Trouts Project Opens Up River Habitat For Migrating Fish
Sarah McCullough, Senior Executive Officer with Wicklow County Council, stated, “Collaboration is key to delivering effective biodiversity action. This project has brought together Wicklow County Council, Inland Fisheries Ireland, East Wicklow Rivers Trust, the River Basin Management Service and the local community to deliver a practical improvement to the river. We are particularly grateful to the residents of Glenair Manor for being so accommodating while these works were carried out, and to Rivus Ecological Engineering for their expertise in designing and delivering the works on the ground.”
Dr. Hannah O’Kelly, Biodiversity Officer with Wicklow County Council, added, “River barriers can look relatively insignificant, but their ecological impact can be considerable, cutting fish off from habitat that may otherwise be suitable for feeding, spawning and shelter. Removing or modifying these barriers is a relatively simple intervention that can deliver a very real biodiversity benefit. At a time when so much of our nature is in crisis, we need practical restoration projects that produce tangible results. We hope the Three Trouts project will be one of many more barriers we can address across Wicklow’s river network.”
The Three Trouts project builds upon a similar initiative completed at Ballinglen, near Tinahely, in 2024, where the construction of a rock ramp restored fish passage at an existing barrier and allowed juvenile salmon to be recorded upstream of the bridge for the first time the following spring.
The work at Glenair Manor is part of a broader effort to identify and address barriers throughout the Three Trouts system. With funding from Inland Fisheries Ireland, a survey of the remaining barriers in the catchment will be conducted over the coming months, helping to identify priorities for future intervention.
Wicklow County Council aims to continue collaborating with its partners and local communities to tackle more barriers across the county. While each of these interventions is relatively straightforward, collectively they have the potential to restore significant stretches of river habitat, supporting the recovery of Wicklow’s freshwater biodiversity.