Cork angling clubs to set up pollution monitoring systems in wake of River Blackwater fish kill

Local anglers angered by failure of multi-agency taskforce to find pollutant or the perpetrators behind largest fish kill in the history of the State

Angling clubs along the River Blackwater also intend to put up signs along the river asking the public to contact them if they witness pollution incidents. Picture: Dan Linehan

Angling clubs along Cork's River Blackwater impacted by the largest fish kill in the history of the State are going to install their own pollution monitoring systems, having lost faith in the agencies supposed to protect it.

Killavullen Angling Club secretary John Flynn said his and other clubs in the area also intend to put up signs along the river asking the public to contact them if they witness pollution incidents.

The outcome of the investigation into the Blackwater fish kill in early August, where a multi-agency task force could not find the pollutant or the perpetrators, has shocked and angered anglers and communities all along the river.

Mr Flynn claimed upwards of 32,000 adult salmon and trout were “killed in this ecological disaster”, plus another 10,000 of other species such as coarse fish like roach, dace and perch.

“These numbers do not include juvenile fish or fry, which are up to one or two inches in length. With this in mind, the number of fish killed could actually run into hundreds of thousands,” he said.

Mr Flynn said the recent Oireachtas inquiry into the fish kill has laid bare “all of the inadequacies of the multi-agency taskforce” that was set up to establish the pollutant and its perpetrator.

“They failed on all counts. Local anglers and the communities have now lost confidence in these agencies to carry out their statutory duty to protect our rivers, waterways and lakes,” Mr Flynn said.

“In conjunction with other angling clubs along the river and following the national citizens science initiative, we’re now actively seeking to purchase our own water pollution monitors as an interim solution until the relevant State bodies get legislation in place to carry out a more extensive operation,” Mr Flynn said.

The monitors, known as ‘sondes’, which are widely used in other European countries, are anchored in the water and transmit real-time information on oxygen levels, temperature, nitrate levels, PH levels and turbidity.

“These will operate 24/7, 365 days a year and will be placed at strategic points along the river to detect any form of pollution immediately. Part of this initiative will also include full accredited training for members of the clubs in the collection and storing of samples before being sent to accredited laboratories for testing and analysis,” Mr Flynn said.

“We’re also aware how spending time near rivers affects people’s wellbeing, so we'll be encouraging everyone who spends time by them to make their voice heard and report any signs of pollution. 

"We'll be putting up signage along the river to encourage walkers and river users to report incidents of pollution under the citizens science initiative."