Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 790: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he will take to eliminate the plant Lagarosiphon Major or African Pondweed which is very prevalent in Lough Corrib (details supplied).

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Lagarosiphon major, also known as the curly-leaved pondweed, is a native of southern Africa. It has been widely sold for many years as an oxygenating plant for garden ponds and aquaria. However, it is viewed as a major threat to Irish lakes and their associated wildlife since it became established in Lough Corrib in 2005.

My Department has been working on this matter for some time with the Central Fisheries Board, the Western Regional Fisheries Board, the Office of Public Works and Galway County Council, and provided funding to the Central Fisheries Board in 2007 to purchase a weed cutting boat which is dedicated exclusively to removing Lagarosiphon major in Lough Corrib. I provided additional funding of €200,000 in 2008 to the Central Fisheries Board for work involving the removal and control of Lagarosiphon major in the lake.

Last year the Central Fisheries Board was successful in its bid to the EU LIFE+ Fund for a project to tackle Lagarosiphon major and other invasive species in Irish waterways including Lough Corrib, over a four year period. The project will receive funding of €1.5m, of which 50% is EU-funded and the other 50% is funded by my Department.