A new project at University College Dublin (Reconnect) is trying to create an inventory of barriers to fish migration (weirs, culverts, waterfalls, bridge aprons) in Irish rivers.The project has used historic maps and satellite imagery to locate a number of barriers, but what is really needed is active river users on the ground helping out.

So how can you help? All you need is a smartphone! Reconnect has teamed up with the UK River Obstacles project to use their mobile app (http://www.river-obstacles.org.uk) to record the location and type of man-made and natural obstacles in Irish rivers. The app is free to download and easy to use. One simply takes a picture of the barrier and notes a few details. The app uses the GPS facility built into a smartphone to record the location. It is also possible to manually enter details of a barrier at a later stage if internet access is not available.

 

The result will be a map of barriers in Ireland’s rivers. All records submitted via the app will be available to the public on the river obstacles website here: http://www.river-obstacles.org.uk/obstaclemap.

 

If you are interested in knowing more about the project or the app please contact Siobhán Atkinson at siobhan.atkinson@ucdconnect.ie or check out the website and Facebook page on the links below.

 

Your record submissions would be extremely valuable, so any help would be much appreciated by the project team!

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReconnectRivers/

 

Website: http://www.ucd.ie/reconnect/