Investigation launched after more than 1,000 fish found dead in Co Cavan
The incident was recorded along a 1km stretch of the Ballinagh River in Co Cavan.
IFI was alerted to a contamination impact in the water by a member of the public on Sunday evening.
Environmental and fisheries staff identified brown trout, stickleback minnow and roach among the species discovered dead.
Water samples have been taken from the scene, and IFI is following a definite line of enquiry into the suspected source of the pollution.
Dr Milton Matthews, director of IFI's North-Western River Basin District, said high temperatures and low-flow conditions 'do not appear to be the primary cause of this incident'.
Advertisement
Mixed species, including juvenile trout, floating at the site.
Inland Fisheries Ireland
Inland Fisheries Ireland
'The needless loss of so many young fish, at a time when Ireland's natural environment is already under considerable pressure, is deeply disappointing,' Matthews said.
IFI said it will continue to actively examine the cause of the harmful ecological event at the river.
The organisation is appealing to people to report instances of fish kills or suspected water pollution through its 24-hour confidential phoneline 0818 34 74 24.
Separately, IFI officers responded to a fish kill in Co Cork last week in which at least 1,500 fish died.
It happened on Ballybrack stream, a small tributary of the Douglas River flowing near Douglas village in Cork.
The dead fish were primarily brown trout and European eels.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Man accused over Longford house raid and refusing to provide fingerprints to gardaí remanded in custody
Liam Cosgrove Today at 09:55 An eastern European man has appeared in court charged in connection to a burglary at a house in county Longford over the weekend. Sarunas Utyra (34), whose address is unknown, appeared via video link at a sitting of Longford District Court following an alleged break-in at Clondra, Longford during the early hours of Saturday morning.


Irish Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Social media sites have no age verification process as new crackdown launches
Four major social media sites did not have age-verification controls in place on the first day of a new crackdown in Ireland. From Monday, July 21, new online safety rules came into effect requiring video-sharing platforms that have their EU headquarters in Ireland to have effective age verification systems in place where adult content can be accessed. However, the Irish Mirror was able to open new accounts as an adult on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X without any verification. Each site simply asked to input a date of birth that a child could easily lie about. This is despite Coimisiún na Meán stressing that self-declaration is not permitted as a method of age verification. The account was able to access pornographic content on X as soon as it was created. However, it did have a sensitivity content warning. Adult content was also accessible on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Pornhub also had no age verification in place on Monday. An account is not even needed to watch x-rated content on the site. When a user visits the site, they are simply asked to click a button confirming that they are over the age of 18. OnlyFans, which hosts pornographic content, also only required an account to be made with self-declaration of age. Under the Online Safety Code, video-sharing platforms that have their EU headquarters in Ireland are legally obliged to protect users from harmful content. Pornhub and OnlyFans were not on the list of ten platforms that Coimisiún na Meán designated these rules to in December 2024. However, they must liaise with European authorities in the countries where those services are based. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X were all included in the list. Harmful content could include pornography, violence, cyberbullying, the promotion of self-harm, suicide and eating disorders. Platforms found in breach of this code could be fined up to €20 million or 10 per cent of turnover, whichever is greater. The law came into effect last year, but companies were given nine months to set up effective practices. Coimisiún na Meán, which is responsible for enforcing age verification on social media sites, said there isn't one approach to how companies choose to do this. Examples include uploading IDs, facial recognition technology or a cognitive skills test. However, there have been concerns over how sensitive information used for age verification would be used. In a statement to the Irish Mirror, Coimisiún na Meán said: "Under Part B of the Online Safety Code, which became effective on July 21, a video-sharing platform service established in Ireland whose terms and conditions permit the uploading or sharing of adult-only video content such as pornography or scenes of gratuitous violence must: have a way for people to rate video content as adult-only content, provide effective age assurance measures to ensure that children do not normally see such content, and allow people to report and flag pornography present on the service that hasn't been marked as adult-only video content or otherwise contravenes the service's terms and conditions. "Video-sharing platforms have had at least nine months to prepare for the introduction of these new rules. We are actively monitoring the steps taken by these platforms to comply with the Online Safety Code and will use all powers and functions at our disposal, including enforcement action, to ensure compliance." Meta and TikTok have also been contacted for comment. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week


Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Elon Musk's X claims French criminal probe is ‘politically motivated'
Elon Musk's social media platform X on Monday accused French prosecutors of launching a "politically-motivated criminal investigation" that threatens its users' free speech, denying all allegations and saying it would not comply with the probe. Earlier this month, Paris prosecutors stepped up a preliminary probe into X for suspected algorithmic bias and fraudulent data extraction, enlisting police to investigate alleged wrongdoing by the company or its executives. "Based on what we know so far, X believes that this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech," the social network posted on its Global Government Affairs account. "For these reasons, X has not acceded to the French authorities' demands, as we have a legal right to do." In the blistering attack, X also said the probe had been instigated by Eric Bothorel, a French lawmaker, who had accused "X of manipulating its algorithm for 'foreign interference' purposes, an allegation which is completely false". The Paris prosecutors' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did Bothorel. Musk, a former ally of US President Donald Trump, has accused European governments of attacking free speech and has voiced support for some of the region's far-right parties. The French probe could deepen a rift between Washington and European capitals over what sort of discourse is permitted online, with senior officials from Trump's administration alleging the censoring of right-wing voices around the world. X said Paris prosecutors had requested it hand over "recommendation algorithm and real-time data about all user posts on the platform", for analysis by researchers David Chavalarias and Maziyar Panahi, who it said had both exhibited "open hostility towards X", calling into question the impartiality of the investigation. Neither Chavalarias nor Panahi immediately responded to a request for comment. X also chafed at the fact that it was being investigated under organised crime charges, which it said would grant the police measures including wiretapping its employees' personal devices. Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of the Telegram messaging app, is also under judicial supervision in France after being arrested last year and placed under formal investigation for alleged organised crime on the app. He denies guilt. Early in July, Musk responded "true" to a post on X in which Durov said the French "bureaucrats" investigating X were "waging a crusade against free speech and tech progress".