Dáil debates
Tuesday, 1 October 2019
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Animal Diseases
6:55 pm
Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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This very important issue was brought to my attention by the Dundalk and District Brown Trout and Salmon Anglers Association. It is also of great concern to many others who are interested in their environment. All Members know that the number of Atlantic salmon entering our rivers has declined in numbers in recent years. There are similar causes for concern in all European countries. In spite of the catch and release programme introduced in recent years by Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, our stocks continue to be depleted and are at risk of reaching zero.
This issue concerns what some believe to be an unknown disease affecting salmon and sea trout in the Castletown, Fayne, Dee and Boyne rivers in County Louth. Anglers in the north east rightly brought this issue to my attention. Fish are being caught in very poor condition, with welts on their backs and lots of scarring. The initial response received by the anglers was to catch and retain live sick fish and that the IFI would collect them. The anglers were of the view that that was a very ambitious proposal as they had no means of retaining the fish and worried that the fish were in such a poor condition that they would not survive long enough to be collected. The anglers are also worried about health matters such as the possible spread of disease through handling the fish. They reported that sea trout are displaying the same symptoms. They reported this to IFI inspectors on several occasions and sent photographs of the diseased fish, but did not receive a satisfactory response. I contacted IFI on the matter yesterday, but have not received a response.
In the international year of the salmon, is the Minister of State aware of this recent disease outbreak in the rivers to which I referred? What actions is the Department taking or willing to take to identify the disease? Does the Minister of State have a plan of action to deal with this situation? Can he find out whether the problem will, as suspected, cause cross-species infection? Does he plan to implement bio-security measures to stop the spread of the disease? Is he of the view that bio-security measures are not necessary in this case? These are the questions to which people want answers. The concerned fishing clubs in the north east wish to know whether the disease is harmful to humans. Does the Minister of State have information on the spread of disease from salmon farms on the west coast of Scotland to the wild stocks in rivers on our east coast?
It is no coincidence that Deputies Michael Healy-Rae and Mattie McGrath tabled a Topical Issue on rabbit haemorrhagic disease. My suspicion from researching the matter is that the disease about which the fishermen are concerned is ulcerative dermal necrosis. I am familiar with necrosis, which is rotting of the flesh. I cannot help but speculate on the phytosanitary concerns in regard to the movement of animals that may have to be addressed post Brexit. The well-known RTÉ programme "To the Waters and the Wild" was produced by Gerrit van Gelderen and Éamon de Buitléar. Our wildlife and our waters know no bounds. I have serious concerns arising from this issue, and the issue of rabbit haemorrhagic disease as raised by other Members, regarding the need to protect our wildlife and waters.
Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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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.
7:05 pm
Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The experience of anglers, certainly those in the north east, has not been as the Minister of State describes in terms of IFI being proactive. He mentioned the River Boyne but, to my knowledge, that has not been the experience of anglers with respect to the other rivers I mentioned. Anglers have been asked to deal with the issue but the IFI has trained staff. It would have been expected its staff should have either netted the river or extracted live samples using electro-stunning, of which I am sure the Minister of State is aware.
I wish to place on record the fact that, as far back as 25 June, emails containing photographs were sent to local inspectors and that the replies received indicated that no formal action was being taken by IFI, which was trying to capture diseased fish in Galway nearer to its testing laboratory. Other emails were sent on 9 and 12 July and on 5 and 19 August containing photographs of diseased fish. On 13 Sept, a video was sent to the local IFI inspector showing diseased fish in the Castletown river.
I ask that priority be given to what is considered to be an environmental disaster in the rivers to which I referred. Effectively, no fish are to be found in them or those that found in them give rise to serious concern with respect to this disease. The Minister of State has not confirmed whether the disease found in the fish is ulcerative dermal necrosis. From what I have read, that it what it appears to be. However, I am not a scientist. More importantly, we need to get to the bottom of the matter. If the Minister of State checks the record of these disease trends, I am advised that disease almost wiped out the stock in 1877. He referred to the period from 1960s through to the 1990s. This issue will become much more serious if we do not address it immediately.
Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I am treating this issue with all the seriousness it deserves. Our rivers are a natural resource and an amenity that we must protect. The Deputy mentioned that telephone calls have been made and videos and photographs have been submitted. I assure him that if there is any failure in terms of communication, it will be rectified. I will bring that issue to the attention of the IFI.
The local IFI inspector has been in regular contact with members of one angling club, namely, the Castletown Angling Club, regarding this matter. The regular contact has been by way of telephone calls to the inspector. There have been calls from anglers for IFI to electro-fish the river to ascertain how many diseased fish were present. However, I am advised this is not a practical measure in the circumstances. Rather the priority is to get the live infected fish for sampling and the local fisheries team had been proactive in developing a plan to fish for salmon on the Castletown river and to try to obtain a live sample of infected fish to provide to the Marine Institute for virology and pathology testing. The team has also set up a holding station isolated from the water body for any infected live fish which are caught.
As already stated, a dedicated email address was set up and the IFI received a number of communications to this address, some of which included photographs. This is a reporting mechanism and it would not be the usual practice to respond individually to reporting emails to a notification type address but rather to concentrate on the intelligence gathered in same. The majority of communications locally appear to have been by telephone. I will be happy to have the IFI liaise directly with the Deputy on this matter . From a personal point of view, the local anglers are the people who have the local knowledge and that is what will help us solve this problem, but it is a worry.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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That concludes today's consideration of Topical Issue matters.