a day ago
Horror as up to 46k fish killed in 30km stretch of Irish river & ecological probe launched amid ‘unanswered questions'
Anglers have been asked not to fish in the river until tests come back
INFECTION PROBE Horror as up to 46k fish killed in 30km stretch of Irish river & ecological probe launched amid 'unanswered questions'
THOUSANDS of wild river fish have been killed in a 30km stretch of the the Blackwater River, making it one of the biggest fish kills in the country.
And the reason for the deaths are yet to be determined while angling club members and fishing enthusiasts want answers and the investigation process speeded up.
2
The IFI says the investigation has yet to yield evidence of pollution
Credit: IFI
Anglers in North Cork are deeply concerned after the "devastating" loss of up to 46,000 fish in a kill on the river stretch between Lombardstown and Killavullen.
Inland Fisheries Ireland, however, has not put the death toll that high, saying that present indications suggest between 8,000 and 10,000 wild fish deaths have occurred in the stretch of river.
These numbers are based on IFI observations and data submitted by local stakeholders.
But angling clubs say the numbers are much higher and impact on every species present in the river including trout and salmon parr, stickleback, dace, adult trout, salmon and fresh water eels.
Long time Co Cork angler, Dan Dennehy, described the fish kill as 'devastating.'
He said: 'Salmon, eels, trout, thousands and thousands of them. We don't know the extent of it or what is causing it.
"The fish have gone to the labs for testing. They are saying between eight and ten working days to establish what exactly caused it. It impacted on a stretch of the Blackwater.
"Now it's 20 or 30 kilometres. Why it stopped at a certain point we don't know. There is a load of unanswered questions in relation to it.'
The clubs have since been told not to take any fish out of the river until the EPA tests come back.
Mr Dennehy, who is the club secretary of Kanturk and District Trout Anglers, says that it is one of the biggest fish kills ever seen in the country.
He said: "This is just massive. Minister Timmy Dooley and Minister Michael Moynihan were there yesterday and they met the local anglers from Mallow, Lombardstown and Killavullen.
"They had a very constructive meeting. I presume they will bring in experts to regenerate the river.
'OFF THE SCALE KILL'
"It is desperate to see. If you see the glory of the trout in the river and then you see them dead there is no comparison. The numbers are just savage.
"The IFI are playing down the numbers killed. I don't understand that. This is an off the scale kill.
"I think there are anglers on that river who will never see the river again because it will take so long to recover.'
Mallow Trout Anglers, anglers in Lombardstown and Killavullen and Salmon Watch Ireland are among those who have been left 'horrified' at the sheer scale of the kill.
An Alliance of Game Angling Federations has described the fish kill as a 'wipeout of the river.'
Sean Long, Director of IFI's South-Western River Basin District, said that the Marine Institute conducted diagnostic sampling of affected fish on site on August 14th at Mallow in Co Cork.
He said: "IFI expects to receive a related report within 20 days of that date.
'Disease outbreaks can occur in wild fish populations and are influenced by numerous factors including environmental change.
'No evidence of a polluting or harmful discharge has been detected to date in the river.'
'POSSIBLE INFECTION'
In a statement, the IFI said: "Inland Fisheries Ireland is investigating a possible fungal infection outbreak that may have killed up to 1,000 brown trout in the River Blackwater, Co Cork.
"IFI is currently assessing the impacted area, which spans an 8km stretch of the river between Mallow and Roskeen Bridge (Lombardstown).
"Inspections of the Allow and Minor Awbeg rivers have not detected incidences of infected or dead trout."
They added: "Inland Fisheries Ireland is liaising with Uisce Éireann, the EPA and Cork County Council, all of whom have had staff on the river throughout today.
"Marine Institute staff are supporting IFI and are undertaking sampling to identify the possible infection."
The organisation is also asking anglers "to wash, clean and dry all equipment, and to avoid crossing catchments with tackle to minimise the risk of spreading any possible infection".
They added that the investigation at this stage has yet to yield evidence of pollution.
