Salmon are once again swimming up the River Nore to spawn following the completion of remedial works at the Lacken Weir in Kilkenny city.
Almost two years ago anglers discovered that the weir, which had been heightened during flood-relief engineering works, was hampering the passage of migrating fish. They claimed thousands of salmon had failed to negotiate the weir, with some dying of exhaustion and others forced to spawn in unsuitable waters.
Following a public outcry and intense lobbying by Kilkenny politicians, led by Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness, the Office of Public Works initiated a public consultation earlier this year to find a resolution to the problem.
The favoured solution, a rock ramp fish pass, which the OPW says has "proven successful in Germany and the US" has now been installed at Lacken Weir on the river below Kilkenny castle close to the city centre. A controversial "Denil" fish pass, which the anglers claimed was ineffective, has also been removed.
The new rock ramp pass has created a spectacular stretch of "rapids" on the river. Its construction involved embedding 1,000 tonnes of boulders across a section of the weir and on a gentle incline sloping down river.
The new pass, which "mimics nature", creates a series of resting-pools which allow salmon and other migrating fish such as lamprey eels, to pass over the weir in a "more natural" way.
Local anglers have praised the work and said salmon have already been spotted travelling up the river through the new pass during the past week. They have also expressed relief that the works have been completed in time for the major run of salmon which will return from the Atlantic during the winter.
Pat Kennedy, one of the anglers who discovered the problems at Lacken Weir in 2004 and who is a spokesman for the Kilkenny Anglers' Association, said he was "very happy" with the work that the OPW has carried out - which "as well as helping the salmon also enhances the look of the river".
Mr Kennedy said that anglers are now "waiting to hear that the Government will ban drift-netting at sea". He added that fishermen and members of the public who wish to view the rock ramp pass are advised to view the river from vantage points at Maudlin Street in the city.
The cost of the engineering works, designed to prevent flooding in Kilkenny was originally estimated at €13 million but has risen to about €50 million.
