Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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206. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will arrange for an independent and transparent investigation into the recent Blackwater fish kill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57239/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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An investigation into the Blackwater incident was carried out by the Inter-Agency Group, established at my direction to coordinate the investigation. This investigation was comprehensive and transparent and included over 40 site inspections, habitat surveys, water and pathology testing and advanced lab analysis, the results of which were published as they became available. All reports are available at .

While a specific source was not found, the investigation conclusively ruled out a range of potential causes such as disease, water quality and discharges and provided reassurance that this was a short-lived event, with no evidence of an ongoing pollution risk. A summary report has also been published by the Group which provides a clear account of the response to, and the investigation into, the incident.

My priority now is to learn from this event and to ensure that we are better prepared to prevent and respond to such incidents in the future. I have written to the Board of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IF), asking IFI to lead an independent review on behalf of the Inter-Agency Group. The purpose of this review would be to consider the actions taken during the Blackwater incident, assess their effectiveness and make recommendations on how prevention and response measures can be improved. The review will also benchmark existing response systems against recognised best practice, to ensure that our protocols are aligned with comparable models of environmental incident management.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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207. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the recreational fisheries which will be subject to fishing authorisations and catch declarations in the future as per Article 55.4 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1224/2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57334/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 22 of 15 October 2025. The position is unchanged.