Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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146. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the measures he has taken in response to the fishkill on the River Blackwater; if he has met with Inland Fisheries Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49038/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I have had regular contact with the Acting CEO and other senior officials from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) since this incident was first reported. I have also spoken with the IFI Chair and with senior executives from other relevant agencies as the investigation has progressed.

I have visited the site on two occasions, where I chaired a well-attended town hall meeting between agencies and stakeholders, principally anglers and their representatives. Officials in the Department have also been working closely with IFI and the other agencies to co-ordinate public updates and to ensure information is being released as it becomes available.

An Inter-Agency Group was established, at my instigation, to collaborate on the investigation into the incident and to ensure that a co-ordinated and thorough response was in place. This group is co-ordinated by IFI and includes the Environmental Protection Agency, the Marine Institute, Cork County Council, the Local Authorities Water Programme, Uisce Éireann, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Health Services Executive. The Group has met several times, including twice under my chairmanship.

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. 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, both in the Blackwater catchment and more widely across other water courses.

A full incident report will be completed by the Inter Agency Group, which will review the actions taken by all agencies involved and include full and comprehensive findings from all investigations.