River Callan fish kill: Slurry leak blamed for pollution 'disaster' which has hit salmon and trout breeding

An alleged slurry leak has killed hundreds of fish on the Callan River that flows into the Blackwater River and on to Lough Neagh.

Hundreds of fish have been killed, including brown trout and salmon over a distance of 1km.

Cathal Doyle is a member of a local angling group called Keepers of the Callan.

"We believe that hundreds of fish have been killed," he told the News Letter. "This is a total environmental disaster. The area where the pollution was is the spawning area for local trout and salmon. It's also an area where there is a nursery for juvenile fish."

This is the fourth time in five years the river has been polluted, he said, but this is by far the most serious because it has hit the spawning and nursery area.

"It is very sensitive timing too. The fish are all moving up into that area from Lough Neagh to breed and spawn."

Slurry pollution in rivers is a common thing "all over Northern Ireland" he added.

"It will take years for the river to recover unless the Department of Agriculture allows us to restock the river - which is against their rules."

He said that when the angling community reports such pollution they are rarely aware of perpetrators appearing in court, and when they do, he says the fines are usually no more than £500, which he says is no deterrent.

Such slurry leaks from farms are usually accidental, he says, but that does not help protect the environment.

One angler on Facebook responded by calling for "an effective independent regulator with teeth and no ties to the agri industry".

He added: "Fines need to be a real deterrent and not a business expense. Repeat offenders should be put out of business and potentially jailed. The current system is pathetic and completely ineffective - just look at Lough Neagh, where the Callan water ends up."

Joe Early, Development Officer with Ulster Angling Federation, told the News Letter that the source of the pollution has been identified and the NI Environment Agency (NIEA) has collected samples for analysis.

Such incidents are "too commonplace" he said, and the fines only have the result of "protecting" polluters in the absence of adequate penalties.

"There are no rivers or lakes left now at good status in Northern Ireland with Lough Neagh constantly filled by raw sewage, effluent and run off from diffuse sources,” he said.

"While the cyanobacteria [blue green algae] bloom may be dissipating this year, due to ongoing pollution it will return next year and every year.

"It must also be said that DAERA (Department of Agriculture and Environment and Rural Affairs) Inland Fisheries have blocked local clubs from restocking rivers with brown trout following pollution incidents, this despite their lack of policy in this area. Individual civil servants are effectively making up policy on the hoof with an overall negative effect on the sport of angling and the environment in general."

The Department of Agriculture and Environment and Rural Affairs was invited to comment.