Munster anglers say they are “in total disbelief” at the failure to find a culprit for the recent devastating fish kill on the River Blackwater, as the Irish Examiner reports.
The multi-agency task force that investigated the incident published its summary report on Thursday (25 September), which finds no definitive cause.
No evidence of disease, pesticides, heavy metals or chemicals was found in samples from some of the estimated 32–40,000 fish killed, adds the report, which says the “waterborne irritant” responsible entered the river around 5–6 August and quickly dissipated to undetectable levels.
Sean Bowen, spokesperson for Mallow Salmon and Trout Angling Club said: “We’re shocked. We’re in total disbelief. I’m getting constant phone calls from anglers who can’t believe nobody’s being held accountable.”
Meanwhile, the EPA has warned that North Cork Creameries risks losing its licence for its Kanturk facility over “very serious matters” regarding wastewater discharges, according to RTÉ News.
The creamery is by the River Allow, a tributary of the Blackwater, and in a recent statement its operators declared that it is “not the cause of the Blackwater fish kill”.
The EPA also emphasises that it found no causal link between discharges from the creamery and the fish kill — understood to be the largest in the State’s history — and does not believe the company was in any way responsible for the fish kill.
Nevertheless, the task force report notes that North Cork Creameries’ Kanturk site has “a history of failure to consistently achieve compliance with its licence discharge conditions”.
RTÉ News has more on the story HERE.
