The Minister for the Environment has declined to clarify if fishing activities contributed to the death of a critically endangered fish in a river in Tipperary.
In a 14 June 2023 Dail Question to Minister Eamon Ryan (Green Party), Paul Murphy TD asked about “the circumstances surrounding the death of a critically endangered sturgeon in the River Suir in Clonmel; the cause of death; if fishing activities – including hooking, netting or removal from the water – were a factor in the fish’s death.”
Deputy Murphy (Solidarity – People Before Profit) also asked why “the rare fish was disturbed and if action will be taken against anyone found to have contributed to the death”.
The sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) is fully protected under the EU Habitats Directive. Article 12 makes it clear that “Member States shall take the requisite measures to establish a system of strict protection for the animal species listed in Annex IV (a) in their natural range, prohibiting all forms of deliberate capture or killing of specimens of these species in the wild, deliberate disturbance of these species, particularly during the period of breeding, rearing, hibernation and migration…”
In response to the question, Minister Eamon Ryan did not say if fishing activities contributed to the “distressed” state of the fish or the death, only that “the cause of death is currently unknown.”
He stated: “Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) have advised that a distressed Sturgeon was discovered in shallow water near Sir Thomas’ bridge in the River Suir in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. A concerned angler had contacted IFI and significant efforts were made by IFI staff to revive the fish but this proved to be unsuccessful. IFI authorised the removal of the fish from the river. Genetic Research is being undertaken on the Sturgeon to determine its origin.”
The death first came to light on 3 June when the Irish Wildlife Trust’s Campaigns Manager tweeted: “A remarkable find yesterday of a critically endangered sturgeon from the River Suir, the first from Ireland in a decade, sadly didn’t survive.” Photos showed a smiling man holding up the fish and the fish hanging from a chain next to an Inland Fisheries Ireland vehicle. The images got more than 174,000 views.
Three days later, as more people began to ask why the fish had been removed from the water, Inland Fisheries Ireland issued a statement on Twitter to say that “Distressed species of sturgeon discovered in shallow water near Sir Thomas’s Bridge in River Suir, near Clonmel, Co Tipperary on 1/06/23…Unsuccessful efforts made to revive fish when discovered by concerned and vigilant angler, who had immediately contacted IFI. IFI staff authorised removal of fish from river.”
The IFI’s statement was accompanied by a photo of another man posing with the fish on a riverside path https://twitter.com/InlandFisherIE/status/1666091744650493956?s=20
ACTION ALERT
Urge Minister Ryan to reveal the cause of the fish’s death and if the removal from the river constituted a breach of the EU Habitats Directive.
Email: minister.ryan@decc.gov.ie
Tel: 01 678 9807.
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