Up to 46,000 fish dead in North Cork rivers as anglers call it an ‘ecological disaster’

Angling clubs say up to 46,000 fish have died in Cork’s Blackwater as agencies probe cause of disaster

The chairperson of Killavullen Angling Club, Conor Arnold, said members were told not to take any more fish out of the River Blackwater until the EPA had conducted its tests. Picture: Conor Arnold/Facebook

Fishing bodies have claimed up to 46,000 fish have now died in a fish kill in North Cork, which has been branded an “ecological disaster”.

While Inland Fisheries Ireland has not put the death toll that high, it has confirmed that between 8,000 and 10,000 fish — mainly brown trout — have died in the Blackwater, Clyda, and Awbeg rivers, as angling clubs and fishery operators await test results to determine the cause of the fish kill.