Angling returns to the Lough five years after deadly fish kill decimated carp population

Angling is returning to the Lough in Cork five years after a deadly fish kill wiped out nearly 100% of all carp in the popular lake.

The Lough suffered a significant fish kill in May 2018, with a loss of about 99.9% of all carp in the lake, caused by Carp Edema Virus (CEV).

“The fish kill was well covered in The Echo and national media at the time,” said Bill Brazier, secretary of Cork Carp Anglers Club.

Simultaneously, the virus also wiped out a similar proportion of the stock in the nearby Belvelly Lake, a private carp fishery in Cobh.

“This led to the implementation and enforcement of a precautionary ban on angling for biosecurity reasons at the Lough by Cork City Council. This stayed in effect for almost five years,” added Mr Brazier.

However, two rounds of health testing in March 2022 and, more recently, in April of this year by the Marine Institute, on fish caught and supplied by members of the Cork Carp Anglers Club, have both confirmed that the virus is no longer present in the lake.

“No other aquatic pathogens were detected in the testing. Therefore, as the lake no longer poses a fish biosecurity risk, recreational angling has now returned to the lake,” said Mr Brazier.

“Our club, including its junior members, have recently visited the lake and a low number of carp have been caught. 

"Other local anglers, many of whom are youths, are now able to fish the lake again without objection.” 

The public reaction to the return of angling has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Mr Brazier. 

“Of course, the Lough is an invaluable public amenity for Cork city and has attracted countless anglers to the area from all over Ireland and further afield for decades," he said. "Hopefully, we will now see the lake return to being one of Ireland's finest public fisheries."