Lough Foyle ASSI

Lough Foyle is of particular interest because of its physiography, flora and fauna. The site includes the whole of the intertidal area, the area above HWM (upper beach area), some sections of the backshore and the mouths of a number of tributary rivers.

The physiographical interest relates to various active coastal processes which occur on both the intertidal and upper beach areas of the shore, in the river and in the saltmarsh environments. These processes include the development of shell and gravel ridges, saltmarsh pans, drainage creeks and sand spits.

The fauna of Lough Foyle includes a large and diverse population of waders and other bird species and regularly supports a wintering bird assemblage of over 5,000 waterfowl.

Four over wintering species of bird occur in sufficient numbers within the proposed ASSI which qualifies them as internationally important. They are whooper swan, light-bellied Brent goose, wigeon and bar-tailed godwit

Overwintering species whose numbers are sufficient to qualify the species as important in an all-Ireland context include the following: mallard, teal, red-breasted merganser, shelduck, greylag goose, mute swan, Bewicks swan, oystercatcher, dunlin, great crested greb, knot, curlew, redshank and greenshank.

Three other species which have been recorded in numbers large enough to qualify them as significant in an all-Ireland context are eider, golden plover and pintail.

The Slavonian grebe has been specifically targeted as a species for the RSPB to survey but it is not feasible to estimate the international population from information available at present.

Along the shore there are large stands of saltmarsh vegetation which display a sequence of community types. Brackish dikes behind the shore support a community of maritime aquatic and swamp vegetation which includes the rare reflexed saltmarsh grass and the spiral tasselweed.
The intertidal area comprises extensive mudflats supporting a large community of common mussel and eelgrass beds. Both Zostera angustifolia and Zostera noltii are found here making the beds the fourth largest colony of Zostera species in Ireland.

A range of notable fish species have been recorded in the estuary and in the lower reaches of some of its tributary rivers. Those recorded include Allis shad, Twaite shad, smelt and the sea lamprey. Atlantic salmon use the estuary as a migratory route to and from their spawning grounds. The estuary regularly sustains a small breeding colony of common seals, while grey seals will occasionally haul out along the shore.

Site Related Documents

Site map (.PDF 720Kb), Citation document (.PDF 175Kb) and Views about Management document (.PDF 154Kb).