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AN ILLEGAL 70-METRE fishing net which was discovered at the Leixlip Reservoir in Co Kildare was taken down on Sunday by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), with over 100 fish recovered from the drift net.
While many of the fish, including bream, perch, and hybrids, were successfully released back into the water, some did not survive after being trapped in the monofilament net.
The net was first spotted on Sunday morning at the popular fishing spot by a two local anglers, who noticed the large mesh stretching from one end of a bridge out into the reservoir. Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) were contacted shortly after.
The net had been tied to a motorway bridge, with two iron rods securing it in place in the water.
IFI Inspector Josie Mahon told The Journal that the illegal drift net was “quite sizable”.
“There were some anglers who were on the scene, and they helped us to take the net down. We managed to release quite a lot of fish, which is good in this scenario,” Mahon said.
Footage of the net was later shared to social media, with a video on TikTok of the nets receiving over 130,000 views.
The IFI said that net posed a serious risk to the local fish populations, with many species at risk of death if unable to escape.
“A net like this that spans much of the river would be detrimental for fish, many of whom will die if they cannot swim,” Mahon said.
When asked why the net may have been set up, Mahon said it would most likely by for financial gain.
“It could be for personal gain, and it could be selling to shops or markets. It’s coarse fish – perch, roach, and bream. With a net that size, they were aiming to catch a lot of fish,” she explained.
“You can go fishing in the area where the net was found with a fishing rod, but nets like this are strictly forbidden due to the damage caused to local ecosystems.”
The IFI said they regularly patrols the area to monitor for illegal fishing activity, and Mahon pointed out that the net had not been in place during their last patrol.
“We would check this area regularly, and the net was not there on Saturday evening,” Mahon said.
The IFI also confirmed that investigations into the incident are ongoing, and while it could lead to prosecutions, no arrests have been made as of yet.
“We retrieve the net, and then generally we would hope to follow this up through further investigation,” Mahon explained.
“IFI’s role is to protect and develop our fish habitats, so when something like this occurs, our job is to try and find out where the net came from and who set it up.”
While the rate of incidents such as this are decreasing, Mahon said they are still “not uncommon”.
This discovery highlights the ongoing issue of illegal fishing practices in Ireland’s waterways.
In recent years, the IFI has increased enforcement and patrols, responding to reports of illegal nets and other forms of illegal fishing activity. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to combat illegal fishing and protect Ireland’s aquatic ecosystems.
The European Union also enforces regulations banning certain types of nets, particularly in protected or sensitive areas, to prevent overfishing and the unintentional capture of non-target species.
IFI urge people to report illegal fishing activity, habitat destruction, water pollution, fish kills or issues of concern in their local rivers/lakes to its confidential 24/7 number, 0818 34 74 24.
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Bonuses all round for the Irish Water top brass. Hundreds of millions being handed over to them and they can’t fix the simplest of things. Can you just imagine handing over your hard earned money to those wasters?
@David Corrigan: we do already hand our hard earned money over to them
@CP: True CP. But they wanted more.
@David Corrigan: they are funded by central exchequer , your taxes, not a magic money tree.
@David Corrigan: you do that with each pay packet…
@David Corrigan: Irish water is funded through the Exchequer via General Taxation, SF and other opposition parties pressured the government into it. In fairness Irish water, they have being in exsistance 12 years and have got through a huge amount of work. They took over a national service with a crumbling infrastructure. A infrastructure was was long ignored and underfunded by every county council in the country. I’d say the money spent by IW over the last 10 years if far higher than the previous 50 years before that.
@David Corrigan: hi David, hate to be a bore but could you detail your simple fix and associated costs and timeliness for completion please.
@Liam23: What utter BS. MM, then leader of the opposition, called for the suspension of water charges in exchange for a confidence and supply agreement with FG in 2016. Nothing to do with SF or ‘ other opposition parties’. As usual every siht show, in every sector, in this country is down to FFG.. nobody else.
Shush with these sort of articles, the public have bought into our “it’s all the farmers fault” mantra, they don’t need to know it their own waste their drinking.
@P. V. Aglue: “An ecosystem is a relatively self-contained community of interacting organisms and the environment they live in, and interact with. There is a flow of energy within an ecosystem and nutrients within it are recycled. There are both living (biotic) components and non-living (abiotic)components within an ecosystem”
2030??
Are they kidding?
This is a serious risk to public health.
Newport, Co. Mayo, has increased in population, has more “bums on seats” and the raw sewage is piped out a short distance into Clew Bay only for the tides and currents to bring it all floating back up the Blackoak river every day. On a high tide the discharge bubbles up the drains in the streets and houses near the water and I don’t need to describe the putrid odour. Fishing, swimming or kayaking is impossible.
She said 16 towns and villages emitting raw sewage every day in Ireland. I think she’s taking the p is, there are that many in every county. But they’ll keep blaming the farmers a handy scrap goat.There are 9 villages within 10 miles from me, 3 of them have treatment plants, the rest store it up and let it off by night, or some of them at high tide
@Max: It’s the chemicals that seep into the water, pray tell how that is anything but farmers’ fault?
@Brian D’Arcy: there’s more nitrogen in the atmosphere than there’ll ever be in water
@P. V. Aglue: does it poison waterways while suspended in the atmosphere?
The state can pollute to it’s hearts content but there’s blue murder if the farmer puts a foot wrong. It’s high time the state officials got the same treatment the farmers have been subjected to for many years now.
Green party taxes….the hypocrisy!
How many workers does it take to change a light bulb? None. We have an essential street light out of order for 3 years in Dublin. Where are our taxes really going?
Also in skerries. Half a km right of shenick. There’s a stream there. It’s awful smelly.
@Argus Romsworth: and loughrea in Co. Galway. Raw sewerage flowing into the local river for the last 60 years and from the “new” treatment plant since it was opened. How many more are omitted from the list?
Imagine the private sector faced such scrutiny.
Imagine fining yourself? Which is what we are essentially doing. How quickly would you change your ways? If UE can’t be bothered to fix these problems in a timely manner, then I’m all for using my tax monies to employ someone who can. It’s like the Metro, China said they would build and manage it, but we refused. If we can’t do something ourselves without wasting billions on it, it might be time to hold up our hands and admit defeat, then commission somebody who can get the job done.
How can I swim in the rivers with disgusting sewage!? A disgusting disgrace
Not to mention what comes out of Mary Lou !
@Dave c: Yawn, must have taken you all day to think that up.
Problem all across Europe. I saw raw sewerage coming out of the overflows on the street in Lanzarote while I was there a few weeks ago
@Peter Byrne: I think that was the volcanic Ash.. the people are very clean in lanzarote
Longford , includes pharmaceutical waste
Stopping the raw sewage from Leinster House should be the priority!
The usual NGO mouth pieces have traps sewn shut today.
Blame climate change that’s the green media answer to issues they report on, a but the green politicians tend to be looking the other way on this one.
Government is the problem
Some KIP
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