Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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123. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on whether Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) should continue operating as a statutory body considering its reluctance to fully comply with the EU Habitats and Water Framework Directives by conserving invasive/non-native freshwater fish in Lough Corrib SAC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50214/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Inland Fisheries Act 2010 provides that Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the statutory body for the protection, conservation, development and promotion of the inland fisheries resource, including sea angling.

While IFI is not the lead competent authority for either of the Directives referred to in the Question, I can confirm to the Deputy that the agency is fully aware of its obligations under the EU Habitats and Water Framework Directives.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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124. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department will continue to legislatively conserve and validate invasive non-native freshwater fish such as pike and roach in SACs within the confines of a Geopark (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50215/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The threat posed by the presence and spread of all non-native invasive fish species in Irish waters and the impact invasive species pose to our native fish population species and our ecosystems including within the Geopark referred to by the Deputy is a matter of concern. However, the management of any species such as pike and roach in a particular fishery or SAC is an operational matter for Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in which neither I nor the Department have any function.

The Deputy may wish to contact IFI directly in relation to this matter. IFI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that queries in relation to operational matters can be addressed promptly, in line with IFI’s objective to deliver services to the highest standards.

The email address is oireachtas@fisheriesireland.ie

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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125. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department will provide additional funding to Inland Fisheries Ireland to initiate a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for the Blackwater River after the catastrophic fish kill in August 2025 considering the river’s status as a SAC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50216/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I want to acknowledge the seriousness of the fish kill that occurred on the River Blackwater and its tributaries near Mallow, Co Cork, and I fully recognise the enormous impact this incident has had on local communities, anglers and users of this important river catchment.

An Inter-Agency Group was established at my instigation, to investigate the incident and to ensure that a coordinated and thorough response was in place. The priority to now has been on establishing the facts of the incident and to assess the impact on the fish stocks and river system. 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.

No decisions on future actions have been made yet. 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. The ongoing monitoring, together with the forthcoming incident report, will determine whether interventions, including a rehabilitation plan, are required.