Lough Fern

Lough Fern (Irish: Loch Fearna)[4] is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. It is located in north County Donegal near the town of Milford.

Lough Fern
Location in Ireland
LocationCounty Donegal
Coordinates55°3′32″N 7°43′9″W
Native nameLoch Fearna  (Irish)
Primary inflowsRiver Leannan
Primary outflowsRiver Leannan
Catchment area206.17 km2 (79.6 sq mi)
Basin countriesIreland
Max. length2.3 km (1 mi)
Max. width0.8 km (0.5 mi)
Surface area1.81 km2 (0.70 sq mi)
Average depth2 m (6 ft 7 in)
Max. depth3 m (10 ft)
Surface elevation18.7 m (61 ft)
Islands2
References[1][2][3]

Geography

Lough Fern is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Milford, on the R246 road, and 10 kilometres (6 mi) north of Letterkenny.[3] It measures about 2 km (1.2 mi) long and 0.8 km (0.5 mi) wide.[2] The lake has two islands at its northern end, including one crannog.[3]

Hydrology

Lough Fern is fed mainly by the River Leannan entering at its southern end and also by a stream entering at the northern end. The lake drains eastwards into the continuation of the Leannan, which in turn enters Lough Swilly at Rathmelton.[2][3][5]

Natural history

Fish species in Lough Fern include brown trout, salmon, three-spined stickleback, perch and the critically endangered European eel.[6] Lough Fern is part of the Leannan River Special Area of Conservation.[3][5]

See also
  • List of loughs in Ireland

References
  1. "A Reference Based Typology and Ecological Assessment System for Irish Lakes" (PDF). Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). 2006. p. 11. Retrieved 20 Aug 2015.
  2. Google (20 Aug 2015). "Lough Fern" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 20 Aug 2015.
  3. "Water Framework Directive Fish Stock Survey of Lough Fern" (PDF). Inland Fisheries Ireland. August 2011. Retrieved 20 Aug 2015.
  4. "Loch Fearna/Lough Fern". Placenames Database of Ireland. Government of Ireland - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Dublin City University. Retrieved 20 Aug 2015.
  5. "Leannan River SAC". National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland). Retrieved 20 Aug 2015.
  6. "Preliminary Synopsis of the WFD Surveillance Monitoring Fish Stock Survey on Lough Fern" (PDF). Inland Fisheries Ireland. August 2014. Retrieved 20 Aug 2015.
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