North Cork angling contest cancelled after ‘major fish kill’

A prestigious angling competition that was due to take place this weekend in North Cork has been cancelled because of the death of thousands of fish on a section of the River Allow.

This follows what Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has referred to as “a major fish kill”, which is believed to have been caused by a chemical spill. Investigations are ongoing into the cause of the incident.

The Kanturk and District Trout Anglers’ Association was due to host the Trout Anglers Federation of Ireland (TAFI) Senior River Interprovincial River Championship over the weekend, but has been forced to cancel because of the pollution and the death of an estimated 5,000 fish.

Devastated

Anglers from across the country who had travelled to the Kanturk area to practice ahead of the championship have now been left “devastated”.

In a statement, Tim Corbett, association honorary secretary, said: “The club was scheduled to run a very prestigious event this coming weekend. Much of the hard work was done in preparation for the championships, commitments were made on catering and a venue, medals for the winners were purchased.

“Anglers from throughout Ireland had made their way to Kanturk, purchasing day permits to practise on our waters over the previous few weeks. I have no doubt that some of them had checked into local B&Bs ahead of the weekend,” said Mr Corbett.

“What a shame that what should have been a celebration of our sport and a positive impact on the local economy is now gone.

“As a club that seeks to promote both the sport of angling as well as the river habitat of all aquatic species, we are devastated.”

Taking precautionary measures, the anglers’ association has also cancelled all future club events and youth programmes.

Meanwhile, Uisce Éireann has advised the local community that the drinking water in the area has not been impacted.