Fish kill likely caused by chemical spill

A suspected chemical spill was the cause of the death of approximately 1,500 fish in a Cork city river recently.

The pollution incident occurred over a 1.5km stretch of the Ballybrack stream, a small tributary of the Douglas River which flows near Douglas village.

The dead fish are primarily brown trout and European eels.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is investigating the incident which it believes to have happened on 9 July.

The organisation has ruled out low water flow or increased temperatures as being factors in the incident.

An IFI spokesperson said: “The investigation suggests a chemical pollutant entered the surface water drain, which discharged into the watercourse, however it may not be possible to conclusively identify the type or origin of the pollutant. IFI staff will continue to monitor the stream.”

An IFI senior fisheries environmental officer began an on-site investigation into the incident on 10 July and IFI continues to actively probe the cause of what it describes as a “harmful ecological event”.

The agency was notified of the pollution by a member of the public and urges the public to report instances of fish kills or water pollution through its 24-hour confidential hotline service at 081834 74 24.

Following the incident, IFI has reminded the public to ensure household chemicals are used, stored, and disposed of in a responsible manner.