Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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212. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if a systematic assessment will be carried out to quantify the number of fish killed in the recent River Blackwater incident; the engagement which has taken place with local stakeholders including angling clubs, farming bodies and community organisations; and when the resulting data will be reported and to whom. [51227/25]

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.

From the outset, I have been in regular contact with local councillors and public representatives and engaged directly with those mostly affected. I 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 also worked closely with the agencies involved to coordinate public updates, ensure results were issued as they became available and that timely updates were provided to local and national media. This approach ensured transparency and that all stakeholders were kept informed of progress.

A report of the investigation into the fish kill incident on the River Blackwater was published last Thursday, 25 September, by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) on behalf of the Inter-Agency Group established to coordinate an investigation into this incident. The report includes a summary of the work carried out by all the agencies involved and includes detailed reports of the investigations completed by the primary agencies - IFI, the Environmental Protection Authority and Cork County Council. All other data, including test reports, lab results and monitoring reports, was released as it became available throughout the course of the investigation. All publications relating to the incident are available on IFI’s website at www.fisheriesireland.ie/publications.

I can advise the Deputy that an assessment of the mortality numbers has been carried out by IFI. While it is not possible to determine an exact number, IFI’s estimate provides a scientifically robust range that reflects the likely scale of the loss. Details of IFI’s assessment is included in the Inter-Agency report.