Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)

I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, who could not be here. I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this important issue and allowing me to update the House on matters relating to it. I want to begin by acknowledging the importance of the very serious kill that occurred on the River Blackwater and its tributaries near Mallow, County Cork, last month and I wish to emphasise that the Government fully recognise the enormous impact this incident has had on local communities, anglers and users of this important river catchment.

Since becoming aware of the incident, the Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and marine, Deputy Dooley, has been in close contact with IFI and other relevant agencies and he has visited the site on two occasions to consult with the local community and anglers. The Minister of State chaired a well-attended town hall meeting in Mallow between agencies and stakeholders, principally anglers and their representatives. Officials in the Department have also been working closely with IFI and other agencies to co-ordinate public updates and to ensure information is being released as it becomes available.

To ensure that a co-ordinated and thorough response is in place, the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, established an inter-agency group last month, co-ordinated by the IFI, which includes the EPA, Marine Institute, Cork County Council, the local authorities water programme, Uisce Éireann, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, and the HSE. The function of this group was to pool necessary resources and expertise across multiple bodies to provide for a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to addressing and investigating this fish kill. The group has already met on several occasions in the last month, including twice under the chairmanship of the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, and met most recently on 22 September to agree and sign off on a draft report concerning the investigation.

Over the last month, extensive investigations and testing have been carried out by the relevant agencies and all potential pollution sources in the area have been examined. While pathology testing carried out by the Marine Institute indicated possible exposure to some form of environmental insult or water-borne irritant was likely to have caused or contributed to the incident, no definitive cause for the fish kill has been identified in any of the test results. Unfortunately, this is not unusual. In some cases, the triggering factor has either dissipated or is not detectable by the time an investigation commences, making identification impossible.

A significant mortality of fish has occurred, primarily of the trout species. While it will take time for stocks to fully recover, the river remains open for fishing and healthy stocks are present. Importantly, the results of ongoing monitoring and testing indicate that the river continues to be safe, including for angling, with no water quality issues currently detected. All agencies will continue to carry out ongoing monitoring and routine surveys and inspections in the Blackwater catchment and more widely across other water courses.

A full incident report is being completed by the inter-agency group involving a review of actions taken by all agencies, including full and comprehensive findings from all investigations and recommendations for future action relating to the River Blackwater catchment and other river ecosystems.

On behalf of the Government and the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, I thank local anglers and community members who provided vital information to IFI staff during the course of this investigation.

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