Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Following reports of salmon returning to Norway and Scotland with a red rash skin disease in spring 2019, Inland Fisheries Ireland has been proactive on this issue in respect of Irish rivers and waters. All possible action has been taken by IFI since that time. Any suggestion that no measures have yet been undertaken does not accurately reflect the situation on the ground. IFI immediately issued a statement on 17 June 2019 to inform anglers that a small number of salmon showing signs of bleeding and skin ulceration had been observed returning to Irish rivers. It appealed to anglers and fishery owners to report any incidences of affected salmon with rash-like symptoms to help determine the scale of the problem nationally. I am advised by IFI that salmon with these symptoms began appearing in Irish rivers in early June. By mid-June, there were reports of fish with ulceration in at least six rivers on the east and west coasts of Ireland.

The affected salmon show signs of bleeding, ulceration and haemorrhaging, mainly along the area on the belly of the fish, as well as on the head and tail. Secondary fungal infection usually sets in and can result in death.

IFI advised that until the cause of the disease was determined and the risk of spreading the disease established, affected salmon should not be removed from the water. Any anglers who captured salmon with these symptoms were advised to follow normal biosecurity procedures and disinfect tackle, waders and equipment. IFI set up a dedicated email address, salmon.symptons@fisheriesireland.ie,for anglers to report any incidence of diseased salmon encountered in rivers and provide photographs. Anglers were also advised to contact IFI's 24 hour confidential hotline, 1890 34 74 24 or 1890 FISH 24, in this regard. The dedicated email received approximately 25 reports of diseased salmon with red skin rash symptoms from 15 Irish rivers. Photographs were also received of diseased fish from the majority of rivers.

IFI collaborated with the fish health unit in the Marine Institute in Galway and provided, for disease testing, a live salmon with symptoms of the disease captured in the upstream trap from the national salmonid index catchment on the River Erriff. A freshly caught salmon with disease symptoms was also provided from the River Lee for disease testing. Salmon were also collected from the River Boyne by IFI staff and given to a specialist fish veterinary group in Galway for examination. No responsible disease was identified in any of these samples tested that could explain the red rash symptoms observed in Irish salmon. The vast majority of reports of diseased salmon were from June and July with small numbers of reported incidences since that time. Information also suggests that the number of fish which died from the disease was small, with east coast rivers such as the Boyne, the Dee, the Castletown and the Fane appearing to be worst affected.

Given the international dimension to the issue, IFI scientists consulted their colleagues in Norway and Scotland since early June in an effort to establish the cause of the disease. To date, no laboratory in Europe has definitively identified the cause of the disease symptoms observed although it is thought that there may be some link to a change in salmon diet at sea and a related vitamin deficiency that is being investigated further as a possible contributing factor. In this context, an IFI scientist will attend an international workshop in Norway shortly and present the available information on the disease outbreak in Ireland. The workshop will cover exchange of observations and knowledge about the disease between countries, results of disease testing and the identification of knowledge gaps and potential future collaboration.

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