Damage caused to the weir along the River Blackwater in Fermoy during the bad weather at the turn of the year, along with the high amounts of silt deposited on the southside of Kent Bridge, is having a negative effect on fishing activities on the river as well as catering for what is termed ‘wholesale slaughtering of salmon’, a local fisherman has said.
Chris O’Donovan, who holds a salmon licence on the Blackwater, said he and other locals have witnessed ‘barbaric acts of cruelty and blatant breaking of fishery laws’.
The result of the storms earlier in the year caused a portion of the weir wall to break, meaning that the main body of water is now flowing down over this section of the weir, making the fish pass redundant.
“All migrating salmon, now confused and tired, are lodging in the pool formed at the base of this flow,” he said. “Anglers from Cork city are slaughtering the salmon and can be seen by locals, who know these fish are not being tagged or logged in their log book.”
Full report in this week’s Print & Digital Edition
