Co Donegal river More than 2,000 fish have died :Public is urged to contact Inland Fisheries Ireland's 24-hour hotline if they experience fish kills or water contamination

     Inland Fisheries Ireland said the major fish kill incident happened in the Glenagannon River in Inishowen. Photo: PA Images

An investigation is under way after more than 2,250 brown trout and Atlantic salmon were found dead in a river in Co Donegal.

The State agency responsible for the protection and conservation of freshwater fish and habitat said the major fish kill incident happened in the Glenagannon River in Inishowen.

Inland Fisheries Ireland was alerted to the fish kill by a member of the public via its 24-hour confidential hotline number on Friday.

It has confirmed that more than 2,250 juvenile brown trout and Atlantic salmon were killed.

About four kilometres of the river were affected by the fish kill, which included multiple year classes of fish.

Inland Fisheries Ireland said it is following a “definite line of inquiry” to determine the cause, which may result in legal proceedings being initiated.

Milton Matthews, director of Inland Fisheries Ireland's region for the northwestern river basin, expressed gratitude to the person who swiftly informed them of the occurrence.

This allowed the Letterkenny environmental team to launch their investigations right away, he said.

This is important in determining and validating the root cause of fish kill situations like the one that occurred in the Glenagannon River.

The public is urged to contact Inland Fisheries Ireland's 24-hour hotline at 0818-34 74-24 to report fish kills or water contamination.