Cladagh (Swanlinbar) River ASSI
| Site No | ASSI 200 |
|---|---|
| Area | 28.3 (ha) |
| Declared Date | 06/03/2000 |
| Confirmed Date | 11/07/2000 |
| County | Fermanagh |
| Council(s) | Fermanagh DC |
| Keywords | Other inverebrates Freshwater pearl mussel and river |
The Cladagh (Swanlinbar) River rises high on Cuilcagh Mountain, flowing steeply downslope before widening as it enters Upper Lough Erne.The upper half is typical of fast-flowing rivers that are oligo-mesotrophic. It supports a number of aquatic plants, consisting mainly of mosses such as Fontinalis antipyretica and liverworts such as Marchantia polymorpha. The main vascular plant in these upper reaches is the stream water-crowfoot, which occurs where the river is more smooth-flowing.
Trees line the lower half of the river where it is slow-flowing, deep and eutrophic and the plants are typical of waters rich in nutrients. Vascular plants are dominant and include stands of broad-leaved pondweed and yellow water-lily.
The Upper Cladagh (Swanlinbar) River is of particular importance for the freshwater pearl mussel. It is one of the few rivers in Northern Ireland that still retains a significant and viable population of this rare shellfish. In addition, the Atlantic stream crayfish is also found. Otters and kingfishers are also present along the length of the river.
Site Related Documents
Site map (.PDF 1.4Mb)
, Citation document (.PDF 140Kb) and Views about Management document (.PDF 70Kb).
