Probe into pollution which may have killed up to 1,000 fish

A MAJOR pollution incident in a local river twelve days ago may have killed as many as 1,000 fish, as calls are made for better education and awareness among farmers and industrial firms.

Investigations have identified the source of the pollution which wiped out a two-mile stretch of the Glusha Burn, a tributary of the Camowen River near Sixmilecross.

Mark Tierney, a well-known angler and bailiff for the Camowen Community Anglers Association, said the devastating loss of juvenile fish, including both salmon and trout, comes after an increasing number of pollution incidents on the river.

“These streams are the lifeblood of the main rivers. These are are maternity units of the main river system and in the winter months, there are hundreds of trout and salmon in these streams, as this is where they come to spawn,” he said.

“We could be talking about as many as 1,000 fish killed in this stretch of water last week. It is devastating, not just for us anglers, but for the environment and all the wildlife you get along the rivers.

“As a club, we have been calling on the Loughs Agency to come and meet with local farmers and local industry. There are a number of quarries in the area too and it’s important that we educate people about the risks and vigilance needed when working close to our rivers.

“I know that sometimes pollution is caused by accidents, but that’s why we need education. Prevention is better than the cure, when it comes to pollution.”

Mr Tierney said there was also an ongoing frustration over what he believed was the lack of convictions for pollution by officials from both the Loughs Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). “Over the last few years, there have been more and more pollution incidents reported. But far too often, you don’t hear of any convictions or if they even found the source of pollution.”

In a statement, the Loughs Agency said further investigations will be carried out before any action is taken against those they believe are responsible. “Loughs Agency was informed of water pollution on the Camowen River on January 26, after a report was received by NIEA earlier on the same date. Initial investigations by NIEA corroborated the report, and subsequent inspections by Loughs Agency fishery officers identified a number of fish mortalities,” said a spokesperson.

“The source of the pollution has been identified, and investigations are ongoing in order to establish the full facts before taking any further action.”