Evidence for the recent extinctions of two Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus(L.) populations in the West of Ireland

1. This paper highlights the recent extinctions of two native Arctic charr populations in the West of Ireland, one population From the Lough Conn catc hment, and a second from the Lough Corrib catchment, respectively. 2. The distribution of charr populations in the two catchments is reviewed. The current distribution information is drawn from recent fish stock surve ys (Lough Corrib in 1996, and Lough Conn in 1997 and 1998). Previous record s of charr in the literature and unpublished data are described to place th e current distribution of charr within these catchments into a historical p erspective. 3. The importance of the charr population in Lough Mask (Lough Corrib catch ment) is emphasized, as it is one of the last extant examples of charr from a large Irish alkaline lake. 4. Impacts on charr populations in both catchments are discussed and conser vation measures proposed. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.