Investigation into 'significant' fish kill in Cork

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has announced that the agency is investigating a “significant fish kill” in Cork.

According to the IFI, early indications from the investigation suggest that at least 1,500 fish have died, of which the majority were brown trout and European eels.

The pollution incident was discovered on Thursday on Ballybrack stream, a small tributary of the Douglas River, flowing near Douglas village.

The agency was notified of the pollution by a member of the public through its 24-hour confidential hotline service.

Following the call, an IFI senior fisheries environmental officer attended the site to investigate, where fish mortalities were observed in a stretch of the stream spanning more than 1.5km.

It is believed that the pollution incident occurred on Wednesday.

As a result of the investigation so far, the IFI has said that it is possible that a foreign chemical entered the watercourse, however, it is too early to definitively establish a pollution source.

The agency further said that it will "continue to actively probe the cause of this harmful ecological event".

Additionally, the IFI is reminding the public to ensure that household chemicals are used, stored and disposed of in a responsible manner.

Despite the current warm weather, low water flow or increased temperatures are not believed to have been a factor in this incident.

The IFI continues to urge the public to report instances of fish kills or water pollution to its 24/7 hotline number at: 0818 34 74 24.