Mr. Barry Fox:

I thank the committee for inviting us this evening to discuss the recent fish kill in the Blackwater river in County Cork. I am accompanied by Dr. Fiona Kelly, head of research at Inland Fisheries Ireland, and Mr. Sean Long, south-west river basin district director. Freshwater and marine ecosystems across Ireland are facing unprecedented environmental pressures, with many native species now threatened with extinction. These pressures stem from a combination of factors, most notably declining water quality and the ongoing degradation of natural habitats. The Environmental Protection Agency identifies the primary drivers of water quality deterioration as agriculture, hydromorphological alterations such as river channel modification and habitat loss, forestry, urban wastewater and domestic wastewater discharges. These activities lead to elevated nutrient concentrations, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, along with organic pollution and significant physical disruption of aquatic habitats. Together they undermine both water quality and the overall health of ecosystems. Additional contributors to environmental stress include industrial effluents, drainage of peatlands and the spread of invasive species, all of which compound the challenges facing Ireland’s aquatic environments. Addressing these pressures requires co-ordinated, science-led action and a renewed commitment to protecting and restoring our water bodies. The large-scale fish kill mortalities that occurred on the River Blackwater in Cork in August constitute a severe ecological event inflicting significant near-term damage on local fish populations and a profoundly distressing impact on surrounding communities.

The harrowing sight of thousands of dead and decomposing fish in the protected waters of the Blackwater is both unacceptable and deeply alarming. Such events must not, under any circumstances, be tolerated on our rivers or lakes. It is the duty of all State agencies with statutory responsibility in this area to act decisively and comprehensively, to pursue every investigative avenue, determine the root cause, assess all contributing factors, and identify and hold the responsible parties to account.

Accountability must be grounded in the meticulous assessment of all available evidence, supported by robust data and rigorous scientific analysis. Only through such a transparent, evidence-based approach can we safeguard our natural ecosystems, restore public trust and prevent the recurrence of environmental tragedies of this kind. Ireland’s native fish species, including Atlantic salmon, sea and brown trout, lamprey species, Arctic char, pollan, native oysters and the critically endangered European eel are highly dependent on clean, well-oxygenated and ecologically rich freshwater and saltwater systems for their survival. The continued decline in the quality, diversity and resilience of surface waters is a direct driver of biodiversity loss within these fragile aquatic ecosystems. Inland Fisheries Ireland has the statutory responsibility for the protection, development and management of Ireland’s 74,000 km of rivers, streams and lakes as well as coastal waters to the 12-mile jurisdictional limit. IFI’s environmental role is limited to the protection of waters from pollution and the prevention of injury or damage to spawning beds as set out in sections 171 to 173, inclusive, of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959 and as authorised persons under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act 1977. IFI prosecutes offenders under these Acts when the source of a deleterious discharge is identified and linked directly to the party responsible. Inland Fisheries Ireland has in recent years engaged proactively with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment on the need to modernise and strengthen Ireland’s primary fisheries legislation, much of which remains based on the 1959 Act. A critical priority is the introduction of more effective penalties and enforcement mechanisms for pollution and habitat destruction, alongside enhanced statutory protections for native fish and shellfish populations. This legislative reform has been identified as a priority in the current programme for Government and will play a central role in the delivery of IFI’s statement of strategy from 2026 to 2030.

Inland Fisheries Ireland is fully committed to the investigation of all pollution incidents and fish kill events within the State. To support this, IFI operates a 24-hour confidential hotline, enabling members of the public to report suspected pollution, habitat damage or illegal fishing activities. Where a fish kill or pollution incident is found to have resulted from an action that constitutes an offence under the fisheries Acts or the water pollution Acts and where sufficient admissible evidence is available, IFI will initiate legal proceedings against the alleged offender.

Fish kills occur periodically in aquatic environments and can arise from a variety of natural and anthropogenic causes. Increasingly, such events are linked to human activities, particularly point-source discharges and diffuse, chronic pollution. These are frequently associated with low dissolved oxygen levels in nutrient rich surface waters, one of the most pressing and persistent water quality challenges in Ireland. Climate change is expected to significantly exacerbate these pressures. Prolonged droughts, reduced flows, higher temperatures and extreme weather events can lower dilution capacity, alter water chemistry and intensify the impact of both point and diffuse pollution. As climate disruption accelerates, the frequency and severity of fish kills are likely to increase, underscoring the urgent need for co-ordinated, science-led responses in monitoring, prevention, mitigation and enforcement. Agriculture is the principal pressure affecting 64% of the 73 waterbodies classified as "at risk" within the Blackwater, or Munster, catchment followed by forestry, which impacts 25%, and hydromorphological pressures, accounting for 15%. These pressures primarily manifest as nutrient enrichment, habitat alteration through changes to the physical morphology, and organic pollution in surface waters. Inland Fisheries Ireland and its staff are firmly committed and dedicated to safeguarding aquatic habitats and our native fish species, a mission that aligns directly with IFI’s statutory responsibility to conserve, protect, and sustainably develop Ireland’s inland fisheries resources. In 2024, IFI officers conducted a total of 23,425 environmental and habitat inspections nationwide, including more than 2,700 agricultural site inspections and over 2,030 assessments of wastewater and water treatment facilities. Over the same period, IFI initiated 39 prosecutions for environmental offences, successfully concluding 27 cases, and issued 158 warnings for water quality infringements. IFI also pursued 99 prosecutions for fishery-related offences, of which 64 have been resolved. Within the Munster or Blackwater catchment, IFI has successfully closed 18 environmental prosecutions since 2019, addressing critical issues such as deleterious discharges and damage to spawning habitats. At present, three prosecutions remain pending in this catchment, involving similar serious offences.

The fish kill reported on the Munster Blackwater on 11 August 2025 was a catastrophic environmental incident that prompted one of the most extensive investigations in Inland Fisheries Ireland’s history. Despite comprehensive efforts, the precise cause of the event remains undetermined. IFI officers initially responded on 11 August to reports of dead and distressed fish upstream of Mallow, County Cork, with retrospective evidence indicating the first sightings of mortalities on 9 August. In the days that followed, affected fish were observed along a 39 km stretch of the river, both upstream and downstream of Mallow as investigations progressed. Under the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley’s direction, an interagency investigative group was established on 22 August to co-ordinate the response and facilitate the systematic sharing and analysis of all relevant data. The affected river section traverses a region characterised by intensive agriculture, multiple drinking water and wastewater facilities, urban centres, and a range of food, drink, and chemical industries compounding the complexity of the investigation. Notably, the fish kill was atypical. Live and apparently healthy fish were frequently observed alongside dead or moribund fish throughout the affected reach, complicating efforts to identify a discrete pollution source. Marine Institute assessments pointed out environmental insult, with a waterborne irritant identified as the likely cause by 21 August. Between 11 August and 8 September, IFI conducted over 200 habitat inspections at 47 sites, collecting samples submitted to the Marine Institute, the competent authority for fish health for bacteriological, virological and histological testing. IFI also undertook independent analyses for approximately 900 chemicals, ammonium compounds and heavy metals. Throughout the investigation, IFI pursued multiple public reports, including allegations of illegal land spreading upstream of the affected area, suspicious activities near Roskeen Bridge, in co-operation with An Garda Síochána, and illegal waste disposal. IFI has actively engaged with local elected representatives, stakeholders, and the media to provide updates while balancing the confidentiality necessary due to potential criminal prosecutions.

Inland Fisheries Ireland remains committed to the enforcement of existing legislation and has a strong and proven track record in this regard. However, IFI acknowledges the legislative shortcomings of the current fisheries Acts, which provide the organisation with limited enforcement powers, primarily restricted to addressing harmful discharges and interference with spawning beds. Furthermore, the minimal penalties available through the lower courts significantly undermine the effectiveness of enforcement efforts. We strongly contend that these penalties are not proportionate to the severity of environmental crimes, which cause significant harm to fisheries, their habitats and the communities that depend on our rivers and water quality for both amenity value and livelihoods. A detailed timeline of the investigation is available, and IFI welcomes questions to provide further clarity on this significant environmental incident.