Over 1,000 brown trout have died due to slurry in the Four Mile Burn, a river tributary in County Antrim. The incident happened near Doagh and is believed to be related to farming. The fish kill was reported to the Antrim and District Angling Association by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). NIEA contacted the association to inform them of the incident. The agency is investigating the environmental impact of the spill and assessing harm to the fish population.
The Antrim and District Angling Association called for Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir and the NIEA to resolve pollution incidents in the Lough Neagh system, which the group believes is in disrepair. Alliance environment spokesperson, John Blair MLA, suggested an increase in fines and penalties to stop polluters. He added that it was disappointing for an occurrence such as this to happen within the catchment area of Lough Neagh, stating that such pollution threatens the environment’s biodiversity.
A department spokesperson from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said the NIEA’s water quality inspectors identified where the slurry came from but not how it entered the river. The agency is currently investigating the cause of the incident and will take measures to prevent further discharge into the river. The assessment showed the pollution resulted in a major fish kill, and 1,109 brown trout were killed. Anglers fear the occurrence may have also caused the death of several young salmon.
John Mitchell, President of the Antrim and District Angling Association, believes agriculture pollution caused the incident. Mitchell said the tributaries should be kept clean to keep the river clean, and if not clean, then Lough Neagh’s cleanliness will be affected. The feeder streams and rivers running into Lough Neagh are causing the problem, Mitchell stated. Agricultural foulage, which causes these pollution incidents, is a significant problem that needs to be solved by the farming community and government. Three fish generations were destroyed in one go, says John Ashe from the Antrim and District Angling Association. Ashe suggests a new method should be implemented to prevent excess slurry, which is harmful to the environment. Slurry must be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way, Ashe added
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