Overview
- The fish kill was first discovered on Tuesday evening in the Tallanstown area and has been recorded along a stretch from Aclint Bridge in County Monaghan to Lynns Weir in Castlebellingham, County Louth.
- Inland Fisheries Ireland estimates the death toll at more than 20,000 fish and says all species were affected, with most losses among minnows and sticklebacks and notable deaths of salmon, eel and trout.
- IFI officers have taken water samples that have been sent to laboratories, and those results will be used to confirm whether an agricultural discharge upstream of Tallanstown caused the kill.
- The agency has begun kayak, drone and foot patrol monitoring, started clean-up work and has prepared a file for potential prosecution as it secures evidence from the scene.
- Officials say river recovery will begin quickly in some respects but full recolonisation of older fish cohorts could take two to three years, and ministers described the event as devastating for local biodiversity.