Displaying items by tag: Drumcamoge

10th June 2015

Fish Kill Investigation Underway on River Drumcamoge

#fishkill – Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and both Limerick and Tipperary County Council are currently investigating a major fish kill which occurred on the Drumcramoge River on Monday 8th June 2015. On Monday afternoon, IFI was contacted by Limerick County Council regarding a reported pollution incident with a potential fish kill on the River Drumcamoge, a tributary of the Camoge, bordering the counties of Limerick and Tipperary.
IFI Officers attended the site and spent Monday evening and all day Tuesday walking the area both upstream and downstream of the initial site to assess the extent of the fish kill and polluted area.
4,300 fish mortalities have been estimated so far for a 2 ¾ kms stretch of prime nursery area between Ballycahill bridge and Knocklong. The majority of mortalities were juvenile trout and over 100 adult trout broodstock have also been recorded. Other species mortalities include salmon, crayfish, stickleback, minnow and stone loach.
The pollution has been attributed to an agricultural effluent and the source is unconfirmed at this time, but IFI is working closely with both Limerick and Tipperary County Council in investigating the matter.
Amanda Mooney, Director for the Shannon River Basin District, stated, "This is a heavy blow to the river especially with most of this year's juveniles wiped out in a prime nursery area. I am asking the public to report any suspected discharge into any river to the IFI 24 hour confidential hotline 1890 34 74 24.
"At this time of year with lower water levels, rivers and streams can come under significant pressure due to runoff from silage making and slurry spreading. Farmers and contractors are advised to be particularly vigilant".
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has a 24 hour confidential hotline number to enable members of the general public to report incidents - 1890 34 74 24 or 1890 FISH 24. This phone line is designed to encourage the reporting of incidents of illegal fishing, water pollution and invasive species.

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ESB know the importance of offshore wind in tackling climate change and delivering net zero. Ireland has a unique capability given its prime location to take advantage of the potential of offshore wind. ESB are working hard to develop offshore wind projects for the benefit of everyone across society in Ireland and the UK. This includes ongoing engagement with marine users and local communities so ESB can deliver these significant projects.

Offshore wind will play a major role globally in our fight against climate change. It will help to replace energy generated by burning fossil fuels with that from a clean, safe and secure renewable energy source. Ireland’s geographic location on the exposed edge of the Atlantic presents us with a significant opportunity to generate electricity from wind – both offshore and onshore.

Power from onshore wind farms currently provide over one-third of Ireland’s electricity needs. But, whilst its marine area is many times the size of its landmass, Ireland’s offshore wind potential is only starting to be realised. ESB have a coastline stretching over 3,000km but only one operational offshore wind farm – Arklow Bank, with a capacity of 25 MW. In contrast, Belgium’s coastline is only 63km long, but it has already developed more than 2,000 MW of offshore wind. In Great Britain, with a coastline four times the length of ours, offshore wind generation now equates to over 440 Arklow Banks, with an installed capacity of 11,0000 MW as of late 2021.

The Irish Government's target to install 5,000 MW of offshore wind capacity in our maritime area by 2030 is set out in the Climate Action Plan 2021. It also has the objective to source 80% of Ireland’s electricity needs from renewables by the same year. In line with this, ESB is applying its professional and proven engineering expertise to the challenges set within the Climate Action Plan.

ESB are committed to playing a strong role in developing Ireland’s offshore wind potential for the benefit of the people of Ireland. This will be done in consultation with marine users and local communities, and with due care for the marine environment.