Two separate landowners have been fined a total of €8,500 for “destroying stretches” of their local rivers in Co. Laois and Co. Tipperary, according to Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).
Lynda Connor, southeastern river basin district director at IFI, said that the two landowners had carried out “acts of ecological destruction”.
“The actions of the defendants demonstrated a real disregard for the rivers, their fish species and habitats.
“The decimation and removal of a river’s habitat can be devastating in terms of its effects on fish.
“It can also impact instream biodiversity such as vegetation and insects,” she added.
According to the environmental agency Michael Hosey was convicted of carrying out works on 800m of river channel at Trumera, Mountrath in Co. Laois, which impacted “the habitats of trout, lamprey and eels along the river”.
Hosey was found guilty of two breaches of fisheries legislation for the “destruction of a local river”.
Portlaoise District Court heard that Hosey’s motivation for carrying out the work was to “drain land to alleviate flooding”.
The court, which sat on June 16, also heard that 800m of river channel on his property, and on an adjoining property, had been “dug out, deepened, reprofiled and the river bank vegetation removed”.
According to IFI, Hosey carried out extensive instream works in the closed season at his farm in Trumera, Mountrath, Co. Laois in December 2022.
He received fines totaling €3,000, and was also ordered to contribute €750 towards the costs of the prosecution.
Meanwhile in Co. Tipperary, Milo Cuddihy was convicted of carrying out instream works on 300m of the Lingaun River at Breanormore, which affected “the habitats of salmon, trout, lamprey and eel populations”.
Cuddihy, whose case was heard heard at Carrick-on-Suir District Court last month, on July 5, carried out instream works – works inside the river bed and banks – on the Lingaun River, Co. Tipperary, “where 300m,of river channel had been destroyed”.
Cuddihy was fined a total €4,000 and also directed to pay €750 in costs to IFI.
Rivers
The IFI director has pledged that the agency will continue “to prosecute such illegal activity in fulfilment of its remit to protect and conserve Ireland’s important inland fisheries resource”.
It has also advised that landowners should be aware of their responsibilities in relation to their local rivers.
Connor said: “Landowners need to seek all necessary and relevant information from their advisors, and from Inland Fisheries Ireland, before carrying out any works near, or on, a watercourse adjacent to their land.
“The appropriate window for any instream works is between July and September, but only with the guidance and permission of IFI.
“During the closed season, from October to June, no works should take place in a river.”
The agency also said it is encouraging members of the public to report incidents of water pollution, fish kills, and illegal fishing directly to IFI.