Despite assurances by Kerry County Council that there had been substantial improvement in the water quality of Lough Leane - one of the main Killarney lakes - a protest meeting in the town has been told there could be a full-scale disaster next year unless serious problems are addressed.
Yesterday, despite heavy rain and flooding on many of Killarney's approach roads, 600 anglers, business interests and conservationists gathered to warn that the danger of eutrophication, or enrichment of the lake waters, has not disappeared and that even more difficult problems could arise.
The enrichment problem is caused mainly by phosphates from agriculture, washing powder and other sources entering the water. As temperatures rise during the summer months, the enrichment leads to an algal bloom which can be fatal to fish.
Mr Richard Behal, of the Munster Regional Trout Angling Council, said Kerry County Council's assurances were not enough to allay fears. He said the council had suggested that outside sources might have caused the problem - but responsibility for the protection of the Killarney Lakes lay squarely with the council and it was up to it to deal with sources of pollution, wherever they arose.
The damage to Lough Leane, he said, had not been properly assessed and there was evidence, although no proof as yet, that particularly susceptible species such as char had been affected. Council statements that signs warning people to stay away from the lake would soon be removed were hardly good enough, he added.
Because of the problem, the inter-provincial angling finals under the auspices of the Angling Federation of Ireland, which had been scheduled for Lough Leane at the weekend, had to be transferred to Lough Corrib in Co Galway. Ironically, a five-man team, led by Mr Behal, from the Lough Leane Anglers' Association, won the competition and became champions of all Ireland. After the win, Mr Behal said anglers from throughout the State had expressed solidarity with the Munster anglers' concerns. Similarly, he went on, at yesterday's protest rally in Killarney, many non-angling organisations, conservation groups and business interests had offered the Munster anglers their support.
Mr Behal said the consensus after the meeting was that the Task Force established by the Government in conjunction with Kerry County Council to examine the enrichment problem was disappointing, in that only one angler from the Munster Trout Angling council had been nominated to the committee.
He said a representative number of Killarney anglers, local water sports enthusiasts and An Taisce should also be appointed to the committee. The rally had emphasised that yesterday's meeting was not a flash in the pan, he said.
"We want them to know that they have to address the damage on a long-term basis and that a long-term approach will have to be taken. Our protest rally was just the beginning."