On Tuesday 5th June 2018, a man was convicted by Judge Mary Fahy at Galway District Court for being in possession of 1,425 undersized native oysters (Ostrea edulis), contrary to Bye-Law 628 of 1982.

Patrick Cormican, with an address at Newline, Maree, County Galway pleaded guilty to a single charge of being in possession of the undersize native oysters when apprehended by Fisheries Officers at approximately 1pm on 7th December 2017, at Blackweir, County Galway.

Solicitor Dioraí Ford, representing Inland Fisheries Ireland, outlined to the court that Fisheries Officers observed Mr. Cormican loading bags of oysters into a tractor trailer at Blackweir on that date. The officers were aware that these bags contained undersized oysters. Mr. Cormican is a licenced oyster fisherman and on the day in question had approximately 5,000 oysters, of which 1,425 were undersized. Officers spent over an hour and a half measuring and counting the oysters.

The court heard that Mr. Cormican was co-operative on the day in question and had a previous conviction in relation to oysters dating from 1991. Judge Fahy commented on how serious a matter this was, particularly with the local connection with the world famous Clarinbrige Oyster. Mr Ford outlined that the Fisheries Officers involved in the case had never seen such an amount of undersized oysters before while carrying out an inspection of this type.

Judge Fahy convicted Mr. Cormican and imposed a fine of €750. Costs of €800 were also awarded against Mr. Cormican.

ENDS

IFI is asking the agricultural sector to be “extremely careful” in the current hot weather. 

On the evening of Wednesday 6^th June officers of Inland Fisheries Ireland received a report from a member of the public in Claremorris, Co Mayo regarding a fish kill on the Ballygowan River (one of the prime spawning tributaries of the Robe River), which flows into Lough Mask.

Investigations are still ongoing. However, it is believed that the fish kill was the result of effluent of agricultural origin although the precise source has not as yet been identified. Local reports noted fish, primarily wild brown trout, in an agitated state in the river on Tuesday evening 5^th June.

Fisheries officers at the scene

The stream where the mortalities occurred currently shows no sign of enrichment, and it is therefore probable that some polluting matter of a transient nature passed through the river and has since dissipated downstream.

Regretfully, over a thousand wild brown trout from 0-4 years old have been removed dead from the river. Other fish mortalities included stone loach and crayfish.

Given the extent of the damage to the river it will take some years for this stretch affected to make a full recovery.

Greg Forde, Head of Operations at Inland Fisheries Ireland, said: “Currently, water levels are at an all-time low and water temperatures are getting very high for trout and salmon. These factors combined can mean that a small amount of polluting matter can have devastating results. Inland Fisheries Ireland is calling on all farmers and silage contractors, in particular, to be extremely careful in the current conditions to ensure that no effluent is released near drains, streams and rivers, and silage clamps are properly bunded. Extreme care should be taken when spreading slurry to avoid all water courses in order to protect our valuable natural rivers and streams.”

A grim toll

The attached photos here show just a proportion of the fish recovered by officers of Inland Fisheries Ireland following the fish kill.

Water samples have been taken for analysis and investigations are ongoing.

IFI is also asking the public to help protect and conserve the fisheries resource by reporting incidents or suspicions of illegal fishing to its confidential hotline number telephone 0818 34 74 24 or 0818 FISH 24.