Investigation underway into fish kill in Offaly river
An investigation is underway into the cause of a fish kill in the Tullamore River in the centre of Tullamore.
A number of dead fish were visible on the river bed along a stretch from the bridge at the junction of Patrick Street in the town centre and down river beyond Scoil Bhride NS in Kilcruttin.
The fish kill is only believed to have occurred in the early hours of Tuesday.
Fisheries officers were at the scene on Tuesday afternoon after being alerted to the incident.
It is understood that the cause of the kill has yet to be determined, and could either be due to a discharge in the river or elevated temperatures in the water.
The Tullamore River is tributary of the Clodiagh River, connecting onward to the River Brosna and the River Shannon basin
Met Éireann issued a Status Yellow alert warning for Offaly and Leinster to come into effect from 6am on Wednesday until 6am on Friday, with a risk of animal welfare issues.
Fishery officers were removing the dead fish from the water on Tuesday afternoon.
This is the latest in a number of fish kill incidents in recent weeks.
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and statutory partners are continuing to investigate a recent significant fish kill in Co. Meath where approximately 900 fish died.
The incident occurred on the Boycetown River, a tributary of the Boyne River near Trim.
There were also significant fish kills in Dublin and Cavan in recent weeks.