Lough Melvin

The Lough Melvin catchment drains an area of 265km2, 42% of which lies within Northern Ireland. It has a surface area of over 2,000 ha being the 10th largest lake in Ireland and is situated within the counties Leitrim (ROI) and Fermanagh (NI). The main catchment landuses include extensive agriculture and plantation forestry.

Lough Melvin is a mesotrophic (low-medium nutrient status) lake which has been designated as a candidate Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the E.U. Habitats Directive. It supports unique fish populations; three sub-species of brown trout; Atlantic Salmon and; a unique Arctic Char population. Significant vegetation communities also occur within the catchment area including Molinia meadows and sessile oak woodlands.

The health of Lough Melvin and its ecological communities is particularly vulnerable to catchment pressures and landscape uses. The most significant threat is nutrient enrichment and consequent trophic change.