Concerns about massive numbers of dying salmon

A Co Sligo fishing club is seriously concerns about the devastating numbers of salmon dying in local waters.

Ballisodare Fishing Club is experiencing an outbreak of salmon dying as they migrate their way directly from the sea through the estuary at Ballisodare Bay into the Ballisodare river. The club believe the fish are arriving from the salt water already infected.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the Marine Institute, Sligo County Council, Uisce Eireann and EPA have been informed.

The Marine Institute has been on site and carried out an autopsy on some infected salmon and sample tissue has been taken for analysis in their laboratory.

Visual inspection by experts suggests that the salmon have been infected with Saprolegnia which visually looks cotton wool-like growths on the skin. This is usually caused by stress. However, the source or reason for this stress has not yet been identified.

“We’re probably picking up 100 dead a fish a day at this point. It’s as if they are poisoned or something,” Gerry Merrick, chair of Ballisodare Fishing Club told the Western People.

He said the problem was first noted at the beginning of this month and the situation is worsening.

“It’s really serious. Some of the fish are coming in without a mark on them and then dying. A perfectly healthy fish, and within two minutes they are dead,” said Gerry.

“We are heading for 1000 now the way it is going,” he added. The club has contacted the Moy, Easkey, and Erriff fisheries who are not experiencing anything similar. Thankfully, numbers of salmon migrating upstream through the fish counter is in excess of 8,000 so far this season, said the club.