Three Trouts Fish Barrier Removal Project
Opening up the Three Trouts Stream at Glenair Manor for migrating fish
East Wicklow Rivers Trust, working with Wicklow County Council, Inland Fisheries Ireland and River Basin Management Service (formerly LAWPRO), have removed a long-standing barrier to fish movement on the Three Trouts Stream.
The project forms part of the Wicklow Fish Barrier Mitigation Programme and is an action under the County Wicklow Biodiversity Action Plan.
The Challenge
The footbridge over the Three Trouts Stream at Glenair Manor had a concrete base that sat too high for fish to pass - until now, this had blocked salmon, trout, and other species from reaching valuable habitat upstream.
The Solution
Wicklow County Council secured funding from Inland Fisheries Ireland to install a series of natural rock ramps in the river at Glenair Manor. These ramps allow fish to swim up and over the concrete base of the bridge, reconnecting upstream habitat that has been inaccessible to migrating fish.
Appropriate Assessment screening and a flood risk assessment confirmed that works would have no impact on protected habitats, so contractor Rivus Ecological Engineering completed the work on Tuesday 14th September, before the end of the in-stream works season.
Removing barriers like this one reconnects fragmented river habitat, giving migratory fish such as including salmon and trout, access to spawning and nursery grounds that have been cut off for years. Every barrier removed is a step toward healthier, more resilient rivers across Wicklow.
Before - Concrete base before the works
After - Natural rock ramp after the works
Where did this take place?
Along the Three Trouts Stream running through Glen of
the Downs and Delgany, towards Greystones.
Proven Results from Ballinglen
A similar rock ramp project was completed in 2024 at Ballinglen, near Tinahely. The results speak for themselves - juvenile salmon were recorded upstream of that bridge for the very first time the following spring. Read more about that project here and check out photos from that project below.
Ballinglen Bridge before works
Natural rock ramps installed
The river below the bridge now at a level where fish can move upstream
Contact
For queries about this project, please contact Jonathan Sexton, Wicklow County Council Executive Scientist at jsexton@wicklowcoco.ie