Major fish kill investigated on north Galway river

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is investigating what it describes as a "major" fish kill on a tributary of the Clare river in north Galway.

Large numbers of dead fish were reported late last week over almost a kilometre of the Yellow river, a tributary of the Sinking river near Dunmore, Co Galway, which is part of the Clare river system.

IFI says the stream is an important spawning and nursery habitat for young trout and salmon, and dead crayfish were also found.

Staff have traced the pollution source to silage effluent from a nearby farm, and the IFI says a prosecution will be taken “in light of the severe nature” of the incident.

The kill occurred just days after the IFI had issued an appeal to farmers to exercise vigilance when harvesting and marking silage, given the fact that pollution would have a much greater impact when water levels are low in many rivers.

IFI says it is “vital to prevent any leakage from silage pits, and to ensure slurry is only spread in suitable conditions and well away from streams and drains”.

IFI chief executive officer Dr Ciarán Byrne said that the body was committed to protecting water quality in rivers and lakes. He noted that recreational angling in Ireland is worth more than €836 million to the economy, and supports more than 11,000 jobs.

Dr Byrne said members of the public can assist inspection staff by reporting all instances of illegal fishing or pollution to IFI’s confidential 24-hour telephone number at 1890 347 424.