Can anyone give me any info on the Opossum shrimp? Are they present in any numbers on loch Erne or Lough Neagh? - What Im really wondering is do trout target these crustacaen?

jim

Yes, it is present in both loughs, and yes, trout do feed upon it. However, the Opossum shrimp is under attack from the (introduced) American shrimp, particularly in Lough Erne and is the subject of an on-going research project by scientists from Queen's University Belfast. The Zebra mussel isn't helping either as this species is responsible for the increasing water clarity of Lough Erne, which makes the Opossum shrimp even more vulnerable to predators.

Here's a pic of the wee ****** - should be easy to imitate:

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Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once - Lee Wulff

Thanks SR thats good to see a picture of the shrimp . The research by the Uni sounds intresting. Are these shrimp sort of native to the mentioned waters or can they be found elsewhere? I have "googled" them but it seems to be a salt water relative that keeps comming up . On Erne were they abundant in the past?

Jim

Jim, as far as I know the Opossum shrimp has always been in Lower Lough Erne and formed part of the diet of brown trout there. I don't think much is known of them elsewhere, especially in Lough Neagh, which is pretty much a closed book as far as flyfishing for trout is concerned.

My little knowledge of them in Lough Erne comes from a chance encounter with one of the research scientists whom I met on the Lough, a guy called (Tony?) Fitzpatrick from the Biology & Biochemistry Dept of Queen's University. I'm sure he could be of great help to you if you need more info on the topic.

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Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once - Lee Wulff

Thanks again Shuck raider il try that dep at the university and see what they say.