Call for end to 'light touch' enforcement in wake of country's biggest ever fish kill

Salmon Watch Ireland believes the EPA, the IFI, and the Marine Institute were overwhelmed by the scale of the fish kill on the Blackwater River in Cork

Salmon Watch Ireland said the fact that nobody has been held responsible for the loss of 32,000 fish illustrates the need for tougher enforcement and clearer response protocols. Photo: IFI/Facebook

The country's largest ever fish kill on the Blackwater River in Cork in August must become a wake-up call to end “light touch” environmental enforcement, Salmon Watch Ireland has said.

The body, which campaigns for the restoration of Ireland’s salmon populations, said the fact that nobody has been held responsible for the loss of 32,000 fish illustrates the need for tougher enforcement and clearer response protocols.

A report, published last month, into the incident that killed the salmon and brown trout in the River Blackwater found no identifiable cause of the fish kill.

An inter-agency group, which included the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), believe a waterborne agent entered the river around August 5 or 6 and that the first dead fish were found 72 hours later.

They found no evidence of a link between the fish kill and any pollution incident.

“There did not appear to be official protocol at the beginning of this,” Salmon Watch Ireland’s John Murphy said. “When they are faced with something like this, the EPA, the IFI, and the Marine Institute all do their own thing.

“Yes, there was eventually an inter-agency response, but that didn’t happen straight away, and it should have. So, they need a protocol on what to do the next time, so certain people are brought in immediately, not days or weeks later.

I think the enormity of what happened probably overwhelmed all those involved. 

As far as enforcement is concerned, he said there is “weak pollution control”, with too many companies operating in Ireland who are repeatedly not compliant with the terms of their licences.

“You should not be able to continue to hold a licence in this country and keep breaching its terms and conditions without expecting severe consequences,” he said.

“All too often, companies are taken to the district court where they can expect relatively small fines for very serious non-compliance issues.

“Instead, they should be taken to the higher circuit court and given substantial fines for breaching the terms of their licence.” 

An IFI spokesperson said the body has started formalising a joint protocol with other State agencies to address significant pollution events that result in fish kills.

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“This combined emergency response will be deployed to ensure resources and expertise are quickly available to undertake a robust criminal investigation,” the spokesperson said.

“Separately, IFI has been actively liaising with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment to review existing legislation, including penalties, relating to fisheries and environmental offences.” 

A spokesperson for the EPA said: “The EPA proactively pursues legal action in relation to non-compliant, licensed, EPA-regulated facilities both directly to the District Court and to the Circuit Court through the DPP, where appropriate to do so.

“When determining the appropriate route, the EPA must consider the significance of the issue, strength of the evidence and jurisdiction of the relevant court.”