Sixty-six positive reports of blue-green algae so far this summer in Northern Ireland - as much as the rest of UK combined
There have been 66 confirmed reports of blue-green algae infestations in Northern Ireland so far this summer.
In the same period, June and July this year, there were 26 confirmed reports across the rest of the British Isles – 16 in Scotland, 10 in England, and none in Wales or Ireland.
This is according to a public reporting app which people can download to their phones, run by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
During July and August last year in Northern Ireland, there were 67 confirmed reports of the toxic sludge in the Province, suggesting the present infection rate is roughly similar to 2023.
Cases peak in the summer months, and just in the last couple of days there have been new confirmed reports of the algae in Hillsborough forest park’s lake, two on the southern shore of Lough Neagh, one in Portglenone, and two on Lower Lough Erne.
It should be stressed, these are just the cases reported using the app; the true number of cases could be higher still.
The data shows that confirmed cases span from Kesh in the west to the edge of Donaghadee in the east, all the way up to Coleraine – though they are mainly concentrated in Lough Neagh and the lower Bann which drains out of it and into the sea.
A study into the problem by the government last September blamed the problem on fertiliser run-off, warmer temperatures, and the take-over of parts of the lough bed by the invasive zebra mussel.
The species filter the water and make it clearer, letting more sunlight penetrate… spelling more algae.
You can get the app by putting this link into your browser: t.ly/6wyJu