River-Blackwater-1200x675 Anglers meet IFI over Blackwater fish mortalities — River Blackwater

Senior officials from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) met with angler representatives in Cork on Friday to discuss recent fish mortalities on the River Blackwater.

The meeting, held in Mallow, was attended by Minister of State for Fisheries and the Marine Timmy Dooley TD, senior advisors, IFI Acting CEO Suzanne Campion, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and local IFI staff.

The gathering was organised to provide updates on ongoing investigations and to engage with local stakeholders and angling groups. Preliminary results from fish samples analysed by the Marine Institute and water quality tests carried out by the EPA were shared.

Trout-1200x675 Anglers meet IFI over Blackwater fish mortalities — Affected fish at the scene of the incident in Co Cork. Credit IFI

Initial findings indicate no evidence of bacterial infection or systemic disease in the fish samples. Virology results are expected by the end of August. IFI said lesions observed on the fish are likely linked to an environmental irritant. Water quality testing so far has not raised concerns, with further results to follow.

Suzanne Campion thanked anglers and the public for providing information to assist IFI staff in their investigations. She said the agency would continue to coordinate with the Marine Institute, the EPA, Cork County Council, and Uisce Éireann to examine the cause of the fish mortalities.

“IFI was pleased to meet with anglers in the area to discuss this issue, and I am delighted that Minister Dooley was able to attend,” Campion said. “We share their deep concerns over the very large number of fish mortalities on the Blackwater. Today’s meeting reaffirmed IFI’s commitment to progressing our investigations and working with other statutory agencies on this matter.”

IFI confirmed it will continue to share information on the incident with the public as the investigation progresses.