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oai:figshare.com:article/32640117 2026-10-01T16:34:04Z portal_1172 item_type_8 month_year_10_2026

Early colonisation of the zebra mussel (dreissena polymorpha) in Lough Neagh: ecological and socio-economic impacts for the rural eel fishing industry. Sarah Patricia McLean (24169098) PUREID: 612935552 The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas , 1771) was first documented in Ireland in Lough Derg in 1997 . The species quickly spread through the navigable Shannon system and was first observed in the Lough Erne system around 1998 . Surveys of Lough Neagh in 2004 found no zebra mussels and the Lough was identified in the " Zebra Mussel Management Strategy Northern Ireland " as the waterbody in the province most at risk of becoming infected with zebra mussels. In November 2005 five adult zebra mussels were identified on the hull of a boat in Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh . As a result of this discovery a preliminary investigation was initiated to assess whether zebra mussels were present throughout the Lough . The preliminary study found that in 2006 a small breeding population of zebra mussels existed in Lough Neagh . Since 2007 the early population dynamics including population expansion and range expansion of the zebra mussel in Lough Neagh have been studied using a suite of pre-and post-settlement phase sampling techniques. The potential impact of the zebra mussel on the socio-economically important yellow eel population was also investigated. 2026-10-01T16:34:04Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32640117.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Early_colonisation_of_the_zebra_mussel_dreissena_polymorpha_in_Lough_Neagh_ecological_and_socio-economic_impacts_for_the_rural_eel_fishing_industry_/32640117 All Rights Reserved