'Significant' number of dead fish found in river

Fish floating in the Six Mile Water river in County Antrim, the water is brown and there are various stones at the bottom of the river.SMWT

Members of the Six Mile Water Trust voluntary group say they have seen dead fish being washed downstream and "numerous" others in distress

Louise Cullen
Agriculture and environment correspondent, BBC News NI

There has been a fish kill on the Six Mile Water river in Ballyclare, County Antrim.

Members of the Six Mile Water Trust (SMWT) voluntary group said they have seen dead fish being washed downstream and "numerous" others in distress.

They described the numbers as "significant".

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) has confirmed that the incident is being investigated.

Dead fish lie in the Six Mile Water river, with stones at the bottom of the river. There is greenery and nettles to the right of the fish.

There have been several major fish kills on the Six Mile Water and its tributaries in recent years

'Environmental impact assessed'

The Six Mile Water is one of the main rivers flowing into Lough Neagh.

Jim Gregg from the SMWT said the river was fast-moving due to heavy rain during Storm Amy, and that would help disperse any pollution.

He said "well over 100 very large trout" have been found dead, as well as younger fish.

"This time of year is when the salmon and trout come to find spawning grounds and we're seeing some small dead fish, so it could have quite an effect on the populations," he added.

"To have this happen is just absolutely devastating, and it's not the first time that it's happened.

"There is difficulty trying to do sort of autopsies on fish to see what may have been the cause.

"It could be years before we actually find out what happened."

Dead fish lie in the Six Mile Water, with weeds and stones in the river.

Jim Gregg from the SMWT spoke of finding dead fish for at least two miles along the river

A spokesperson from Daera said that on Monday at 12:15BST, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) "received a report of water pollution, indicating the presence of a number of dead fish, in the Six Mile Water River at Ballyclare, County Antrim".

It said that the NIEA "has deployed an inspector to the location to confirm the report and to assess the environmental impact".

The incident remains under investigation, the department added.

There have been several major fish kills on the Six Mile Water and its tributaries in recent years.

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