Minister Dooley welcomes publication of new inter-agency protocol for responding to major fish-kill incidents

National Protocol established following River Blackwater fish-kill

Protocol underscores the importance of protecting our rivers and waterways

Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment Timmy Dooley has welcomed the publication of Ireland's National Protocol for Significant Fish Mortality Incidents in Freshwater. Developed by an Inter-Agency Protocol Group, and led by Inland Fisheries Ireland, this protocol establishes - for the first time - a nationally agreed operational framework for coordinating and communicating the State's emergency response to significant fish kill events.

Genesis of the new protocol

Last August, the largest recorded fish kill incident in Ireland occurred in the River Blackwater in County Cork. The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) was subsequently commissioned to examine the State's response to the incident collate and publish an independent report on the incident. While that report confirmed that State agencies responded quickly and appropriately once the incident was reported, it also identified opportunities where coordination and communication could have been improved. It made a number of recommendations aimed at strengthening the State's prevention, detection and investigation of fish-kills.

A number of the report's recommendations have been actioned through this new protocol. Others involve more detailed consideration to ensure they are implemented in an effective and evidence-based way.

Commenting, Minister Dooley said:

"I, and government colleagues, recognise the enormous impact that fish-kills can have on the local community and users of river catchments, particularly where the fish-kill is as significant as we saw in the River Blackwater [County Cork], and more recently in the River Glyde [County Monaghan and Louth]. The scale of what happened was very concerning. In the immediate aftermath of fish-kill in the Blackwater River, I established an inter-agency group to collaborate on that investigation. The inter-agency group was coordinated by Inland Fisheries Ireland and drew in expertise from many State bodies and agencies.

"Today's publication reflects our commitment to implementing lessons learned from the Blackwater incident and marks the delivery of one of the key actions arising from the JRC review. It addresses many of the review's recommendations, particularly those relating to governance, coordination and communications, and strengthens how our agencies prepare for and respond to major fish kill events."

"Protecting Ireland's rivers and fisheries is a shared responsibility and I want to thank Inland Fisheries Ireland and all the members of the Inter-Agency Protocol Group, including the EPA, the Marine Institute and Local Authorities, for their considerable work in developing this Protocol. Their collective expertise and commitment has resulted in a practical framework that will improve the State's ability to respond quickly and effectively should a fish kill incident occur in the future."

ENDS

Inland Fisheries Ireland

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the State agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and managing Ireland's inland fisheries and sea angling resources. Its core mission is to protect freshwater fish and their habitats. It was established under the Fisheries Act on 1 July 2010, and operates under the aegis of the Department of the Climate, Energy and the Environment.

There are almost 330 people working full-time at IFI in locations nationwide. The agency has statutory responsibility for Ireland's 74,000km of rivers and streams, together with 128,000 lake hectares. It also has a coastline patrol jurisdiction of 12 nautical miles.

IFI's confidential phoneline (to report illegal fishing, water pollution or invasive species) is: 0818-347424.

National Protocol for Coordinating the Response to Significant Fish Mortality Events in Freshwater

Despite an extensive investigation, the cause and source of the fish-kill in the River Blackwater in County Cork during August of last year (2025) was not identified. In September 2025, a summary report on the investigation was published by IFI on behalf of the inter-agency group set up to coordinate the investigation.

Following the incident, an independent review was carried out by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). The JRC report published in February 2026, identified opportunities where coordination and communication could be improved. A range of recommendations were identified by the JRC including the development of a national protocol to improve coordination, information sharing and communication between relevant agencies.

Blackwater fish kill incident

The September 2025 summary report into the Blackwater fish kill incident (which happened in August) was published by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) on behalf of an Inter-Agency Group established to coordinate an investigation into the incident.

The Inter-Agency Group was led by IFI, and comprised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Cork County Council, the Marine Institute, Uisce Éireann, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Health Service Executive (HSE), the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and LAWPRO (Local Authority Water Programme).

This was one of the most detailed investigations ever undertaken in response to a fish kill incident. It included over 40 inspections, habitat surveys, water and pathology testing and advanced lab analysis. While the exact cause could not be identified, the outcome from the investigation concluded that this was a short-lived event and ruled out all major risks.

In line with best practice, Minister Dooley committed to capturing lessons learned as part of a comprehensive incident review, to ensure we are better prepared to prevent and respond to future incidents. In October, the Minister wrote to IFI asking them to lead an independent review of the incident on behalf of the Inter-Agency Group.

The EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) was appointed to carry out an independent, science-based review, the purpose of which was to consider the actions taken during the Blackwater incident, assess their effectiveness and make recommendations on how future prevention and response measures can be improved.

The JRC is the European Commission's science and knowledge centre, which provides independent scientific information to support policy making across the EU. The JRC carries out scientific research and technical analysis, reviews complex or sensitive policy issues and provides independent assessments at the request of the European Commission and EU member states.

Protocol is part of a wider programme of work

While today's protocol is an important milestone, it is not the end of the process. A wider programme of work is continuing to progress the remaining commitments from the JRC review, including improving monitoring infrastructure on major rivers.

Ireland already has extensive network of monitoring programmes operated by a number of regulatory bodies including IFI, the EPA, the Office of Public Works (OPW) and local authorities. Expanding real-time monitoring is a complex and resource intensive project and we need to examine how best to design, test and evaluate such measures before widespread application. A review of existing monitoring systems will be progressed to inform future investment in this area.

Legislative changes are also being progressed to strengthen and modernise IFI's legislative framework. Heads of Bill are being drafted with a view to bringing these legislative proposals to government as soon as possible. The purpose of these amendments is to modernise IFI's enforcement framework, particularly the powers available to authorised officers, as well as legislative provisions relating to habitat restoration and environmental protection. All existing offences and penalties are being reviewed to ensure they remain appropriate and effective.

Specifically on the Blackwater, IFI has implemented a comprehensive work programme for 2026. This includes enhanced stakeholder and inter-agency engagement, in-stream water quality monitoring and habitat and fish population surveys.

IFI also recently announced funding for projects in County Cork to help restore salmon and trout stocks and their habitats on the River Blackwater.

Funding of €67,303 is to be given for a genetic study to collect 2,000 juvenile salmon and trout samples from spawning streams for analysis - with key assistance from local anglers. A grant of €10,000 is being provided for the Killavullen fishery riparian restoration project to develop a river habitat plan in cooperation with IFI.