The "greening" or eutrophication of Killarney's lakes, caused by seasonal algae blooms due to nutrient enrichment, has led to the cancellation by the Munster Regional Trout Angling Council of prestigious angling events.
At an extraordinary general meeting of the council recently, it was decided to cancel three main events in the angling calendar on the Killarney lakes.
These would have been the Interprovincial Championship on August 30th, in which some 100 anglers were due to have participated; the Graham Cup, on September 14th, which was scheduled to involve 180 contestants; and the Charity Cup, on September 6th, an event in which 130 anglers had entered.
Some weeks ago, Mr Aidan Barry, of the South Western Regional Fisheries Board, told The Irish Times that although fish kills on rivers were receiving a huge amount of publicity, a much more insidious cause of pollution was the dramatic rise in the eutrophication of Irish waterways.
Mr Barry warned that unless urgent action was taken, Ireland's reputation as a country with one of the most pristine environments in Europe would be fatally damaged.
He pinpointed the use by farmers of phosphates as a major contributor to the problem.
He said that while deficient soil in the 1950s called for the introduction of fertilizers to increase production, the opposite was now the case. Farmers needed to be educated to reduce the level of phosphates being spread on land.
Mr Barry claimed phosphate deposits already in the soil had reached such proportions that farmers could reduce by half the rate at which fertilisers were being spread without affecting production.
The move by the Munster Regional Trout Angling Council to withdraw more than 400 anglers from scheduled competitions has highlighted the situation. While Kerry County Council has said it has been dealing with the problem by the introduction of a sewage treatment plant in Killarney, it is evident that the annual "greening" of Killarney's lakes will not be addressed until, as Mr Barry says, farmers cut back on fertilisers.
The algal bloom caused by nutrient enrichment usually occurs in the summer when temperatures are higher.
The enrichment of the waters first leads to a greenish slime but when the organism that gives rise to it begins to decay, toxins are released. These can be deadly to animals and, in some cases, humans.
Eutrophication is mainly caused by phosphates leaching from the soil into streams, rivers and lakes. However, there are other contributors, such as industrial waste and domestic sewage.
Mr Pat Buckley, honorary secretary of the angling council, said yesterday the situation had become very serious and anglers were aggrieved at the condition of the lakes.
There were also important implications for tourism, he added. There had been several eutrophication incidents over the past number of years, the last major one in the 1980s.
According to a council statement yesterday, an all-out campaign would now be waged to ensure that the "strong powers" conferred on the authorities would be used to improve the situation.
These include the EU Urban Waste Treatment Directive; the Environmental Protection Agency Act (1994); the Local Government Water Pollution Act (1977); and the Waste Water Treatment Regulation of 1994.
Kerry County Council has urged people not to drink, swim or come in contact with the affected areas on the lakes.