Irish angling groups have called for the establishment of a separate authority to monitor and protect the quality of Irish waterways following a pollution incident which killed thousands of fish on Cork’s Blackwater.
The Trout Anglers Federation of Ireland (TAFI) and the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers (FISSTA) along with the representative body for Irish game angling clubs, National Angling Representative Association (NARA) have called for urgent action.
In a joint statement, the three groups say that they are seriously concerned at the number of water-quality related fish kills which have taken place over the past few weeks. This includes the thousands of brown trout killed as a result of a pollution incident on the Blackwater in North Cork.
They also point to a fish kill on the Douglas river in Cork in July where 1,500 fish were killed and one on the Erne system in Co Cavan in July where over 1,200 fish are believed to have died. They also pointed to another incident in Co Clare as further proof of a continuing problem with water quality.
READ MORE
The angling groups say they are astounded at “the lack of outrage” over these kills. They have accused Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) of ignoring the fact that most Irish waterways are seriously polluted and that this is a big contributory factor in the amount of fish mortalities.
They say they are also concerned at the lack of comment by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in relation to the fish kills. They say various county councils have also been silent on the issue and the groups have challenged local authorities to be more proactive on the issue.
“It appears that those with responsibility for cleaning up our waterways have accepted that fish kills are the norm and the public, including anglers, should accept this,” said the angling groups. They added that they have all been long raising the issue of water quality with IFI.
[ Blackwater mass fish kill confirmed as due to pollution incidentOpens in new window ]
“We are calling on the Minister with responsibility to review how our waterways are managed from a water-quality perspective. We are calling for one overall body with full operational and strategic responsibility for water quality and the fisheries environment.
“This body must be given the full resources to carry out audits, spot checks and inspections on any industry which discharges to our public waterways. This body will have responsibility for the issuing of court proceedings to enforce the legislation that is in place currently.”
The groups are also calling “on the Minister to review the fines in relation to pollution incidents. We are asking that legislation is put in place to hold directors and owners of companies directly responsible for acts or omissions that result in pollution to our waterways.”
They believe that the current enforcement system for water quality is in “complete disarray”. They believe radical change is needed in how anti-pollution measures are monitored and enforced if Ireland is to meet EU Water Framework Directive targets on water quality.
“Should the State not do so, we will have no option but to bring the issue of water quality to the EU, who have overall responsibility for the achievement of our Water Framework Directive targets and objectives,” they warn.
IFI in a statement rejected the criticism by the angling groups. It said its dedicated staff were very deeply committed to managing, conserving, developing and protecting Irish freshwater fish and their habitats, which was their primary objective.
IFI acknowledged that its work is often impacted by water pollution but said its strong track record in gaining convictions for fisheries offences was testament to its determination to safeguard the State’s natural resources.
“IFI never have, and never would, accept any fish kill as a normal or acceptable event. Our staff investigate all fish mortality incidents to find a source of harm as quickly as possible,” said the agency, adding the loss of any fish life was “a source of deep disappointment” for IFI and its staff.
The EPA in response said that its primary responsibility relates to sites that it licences such as certain industrial and waste sites, urban wastewater discharges and drinking-water plants, and whether any of these sites could have contributed to any pollution incident such as that on the Blackwater.
It said that when it became aware of the Blackwater incident, it had three teams of EPA inspectors deployed within an hour to investigate. The EPA regulates sites in the Mallow and Cork area and it was continuing to work closely with IFI as well as carrying out further inspections and sampling.
