Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is investigating a fish kill at Lough Sheelin, Co Cavan during which at least 68 fish have died, most of which were large wild brown trout.
Fish mortalities were observed last week in Captain’s Bay, Lough Sheelin and a circa 2km stretch of the Mountnugent River.
Species of fish discovered dead include 63 brown trout, two roach, one perch and two stone loach.
Investigations thus far have not yielded any evidence of pollution.
IFI staff were on site on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 July to investigate the incident, which is believed to have been caused by prolonged recent hot weather.
Monitoring and assessment of the lake and river will continue to be undertaken to identify the cause of the fish kill and the quality of the water.
IFI suspects the event was caused by high water temperatures in combination with low dissolved oxygen levels, exacerbated by the presence of aquatic plant growth which removes oxygen from the water at night during respiration. This impacts on larger fish disproportionately.
IFI says it is grateful to the member of the public who alerted the organisation to the incident.
