Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) says it is investigating a major fish kill incident that’s claimed over 2,000 juvenile brown trout and Atlantic salmon in a Co Donegal river.
Environmental and fisheries officers from the North-Western River Basin District were alerted to the incident in the Glenagannon River at Inishowen by a member of the public via IFI’s 24-hour confidential hotline number on Friday (26 August).
Following patrols conducted along the river on Friday and Saturday (27 August), the State agency responsible for the protection and conservation of freshwater fish and habitats has confirmed that over 2,250 juvenile brown trout and Atlantic salmon were killed in the incident.
The fish kill covered some four kilometres of the river and comprised several year classes of fish, IFI said, adding that is following a definite line of inquiry to determine the cause which may result in legal proceedings.
Milton Matthews, director of the North-Western River Basin District acknowledged the ongoing support of the public in reporting suspected cases of water pollution and fish kills.
“We would like to thank the member of the public who alerted us promptly to this serious incident through our 24-hour confidential hotline last Friday,” he said.
“This enabled our environmental team in Letterkenny to instigate our investigations without delay. This can be critical in identifying and confirming the underlying cause of fish kill incidents such as this one on the Glenagannon River.”
To report fish kills or water pollution, members of the public are encouraged to call IFI’s 24/7 hotline on 0818 34 74 24.
