Donegal fish kill expected to result in prosecution

Prosecutions are expected as a result of a major fish kill involving juvenile salmon and trout on the Glenagannon river at Inishowen, Co Donegal.

Environmental and fisheries officers from the North Western River Basin District were alerted to the incident by a member of the public via its 24-hour hotline on Friday.

Inland Fisheries Ireland patrols discovered more than 2,250 juvenile brown trout and Atlantic salmon had been killed. The Atlantic wild salmon in particular is considered to be “a species in crisis”, according to the international North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation.

According to the organisation, between 1983-2016 numbers of wild Atlantic salmon prior to any fishing taking place fell by more than half. The rate of decline was most dramatic from 1983-1990, when salmon numbers fell from about 7 million to 5 million fish. And while the rate of decline since 1990 has slowed, a further 33 per cent of salmon have been lost.

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Brown trout usually spawn between October and December in well-oxygenated gravel beds of rivers. It is native to Ireland, and its native geographic range includes Europe and parts of northern Africa. As a favourite angling species, it is the most widespread fish in Ireland and is found in most streams, rivers and lakes.

The Glenagannon fish kill covered about 4km of the river and comprised fish at several different stages in the life cycle.

Inland Fisheries Ireland said it is “following a definite line of inquiry to determine the cause, which may result in legal proceedings being initiated”.

Its director of the North Western River Basin District, Milton Matthews, acknowledged the ongoing support of the public in reporting suspected cases of water pollution and fish kills: “We would like to thank the member of the public who alerted us promptly to this serious incident through our 24-hour confidential hotline... This enabled our environmental team in Letterkenny to instigate our investigations without delay. This can be critical in identifying and confirming the underlying cause of fish kill incidents such as this one on the Glenagannon river.”

Inland Fisheries Ireland’s hotline is on 0818 34 74 24, which is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week.