Library · Pollution & fish kills
Check, Clean, Dry
After any suspect water — check your gear, clean it, and dry it fully before fishing anywhere else.
The three steps
- Check — go over rod, line, waders, boots, net and boat for weed, mud and droplets before leaving the bank.
- Clean — wash everything that touched the water, ideally with disinfectant; get into seams, treads and net mesh.
- Dry — let gear dry completely before it touches another water. Some invasive species and disease agents survive days in a damp wader seam.
Why it matters more at an incident
Around a suspected pollution or disease event the stakes are higher than usual: wet gear moved straight to another water can carry whatever killed the fish with it. Biosecurity is part of the response, not an afterthought — it's written into the same national guidance the reporting steps come from.
Related
Sources & how we know this (2)
- Check-Clean-Dry biosecurity after every site visit is part of the club response procedure aligned with the National Protocol 2026
Trim Athboy & District AA — Pollution & Fish Kill response pack v2, July 2026 (club document) · 2026-07-17 - IFI's hotline scope includes invasive species reporting alongside pollution and fish kills
Inland Fisheries Ireland — Contact us · 2026-07-17
Draft reference — pending review.