INSPECTORS FOR the Southern Regional Fisheries Board are investigating a major fish kill which occurred in the Mall river in Templemore, Co Tipperary, in recent days.
An as yet unidentified pollutant is believed to have entered the river three kilometres outside the town some time earlier this week, resulting in the deaths of approximately 2,000 trout and salmon smolts.
The initial signs of the fish kill only surfaced on Tuesday evening and yesterday.
Local anglers discovered the fish kill, the first in more than 15 years, and are deeply upset at the sheer size of the kill on what is a well-known salmon and trout spawning river.
The secretary of Templemore and District Anglers Club, Jim Hassey, described the kill as a “devastating”.
Mr Hassey called upon the Southern Regional Fisheries Board to thoroughly investigate the incident.
He confirmed that a member of the club discovered the kill and immediately contacted the relevant authorities.
The Southern Regional Fisheries Board is expected to continue with its investigations in the coming days.