Cork county mayor wants to see salmon hatchery reopened following fish kill

Cork’s county mayor is to seek a meeting with Fisheries Minister Timmy Dooley in an effort to get him to reopen a salmon and trout hatchery on the River Blackwater in Mallow, in order to boost the game fish stocks which were devastated by the largest fish kill in Irish history last year.

Mayor and Fianna Fáil councillor Bernard Moynihan said it’s imperative that Mr Dooley acts to help replenish fish numbers in the river following the major pollution incident in August 2025 which killed an estimated 45,000 fish.

Mr Moynihan said the kill was not just a terrible environmental incident, but has damaged the local economy as well.

“It’s estimated that every salmon caught in that river is worth €1,000 to the economy. The Blackwater is a huge source of tourism revenue,” he said.

Mr Moynihan made the comments after fellow Fianna Fáil councillor Pat Hayes said a former hatchery near Mallow should be reopened. 

Mr Hayes, an avid fly fisherman, said that while preventing another pollution event must be the first priority, recovery cannot simply mean waiting for nature to take its course.

Finest salmon river in Europe 

“The Blackwater has a remarkable history. In 1998 it was the number one salmon river in Ireland, with a rod catch of 8,063 salmon. It was regarded as one of the finest salmon rivers in Europe, and described as the third most productive salmon river, behind only two rivers on Russia’s Kola peninsula,” Mr Hayes said.

He said for decades the Mallow hatchery was a vital part of that success. It operated for more than 60 years before closing in the early 2000s, and produced around 1.25m salmon fry and approximately 250,000 trout annually for the Blackwater system.

“At a time when this river is fighting for recovery, I believe it is time to seriously consider reopening Mallow as a modern conservation hatchery using Blackwater broodstock – while some are still left – to produce Blackwater fish for the Blackwater.

“It could also include an education aspect around the flora and fauna in the Blackwater Valley. It could be an education hub for schools and colleges,” Mr Hayes said.

Mr Hayes said that Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) needs to address the fact that the Blackwater has extensive tributaries that serve as spawning beds, yet many of them are not being properly maintained.

“Across the catchment area, there are spawning streams that need to be cleaned and maintained.”