A fisheries board is to ask the Department of Communications and Natural Resources to introduce a by-law to protect Cork's valuable carp population.
The carp, many of which are worth €2,000 each, in Cork's Lough and also at the Ballincollig Reservoir were "being killed for the table for the first time ever", a meeting of the South Western Regional Fisheries board in Macroom heard.
There is no law prohibiting anglers from killing any kind of coarse fish for the table, Mr Aidan Barry, chief executive of the board said, but traditionally the fish taken are returned to the waters alive. "Killing them is legal but it is not something we have encountered before," Mr Barry said.
Carp fishing is the fastest growing angling sport for those under the age of 30. Those trying to establish carp ponds in the UK, for instance, will pay £1,500 sterling for older carp, according to the board.
Cork city has held the angling record for carp for the last number of years. Some of the Cork carp are 20 to 25 years old, explained Mr Barry.
South Western regional board member, Mr Jerry Keating, said he had "no wish to stir up a can of worms". However, it was non-nationals who were killing the carp, he said.
Two of the four major carp fisheries in the country were in Cork and the by-law was necessary to protect them, Mr Barry said. "It's not about trying to discriminate against any section of the community; it's about trying to protect a species," he said.
A high number of complaints had been received about people taking away the fish. The board passed a motion to request the by-law.
Meanwhile, the introduction of CCTV cameras on Cork city bridges should help with the long-term problem of poaching in the city, Mr Barry said.