Environmental regulators in Northern Ireland, UK under investigation for failing salmon

Published Apr 3, 2023

Tridge summary

Environmental regulators in Northern Ireland, specifically the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), are under investigation for failing to protect migratory fish such as salmon, dollaghan, and brown trout in the Crumlin River, which flows into Lough Neagh. The investigation stems from claims that these regulators have not taken action to prevent water abstraction, leading to a severely depleted river section and preventing adult fish from reaching their spawning grounds. The referral to the Office for Environmental Protection was made by Fish Legal on behalf of the Crumlin and District Angling Association, who has documented the issue for over five years with no resolution.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Environmental regulators in Northern Ireland under investigation for failing salmon. Fish Legal has referred environmental regulators in Northern Ireland to the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) for failing to protect migratory fish including salmon, dollaghan and brown trout on the Crumlin River which flows into Lough Neagh. The OEP has confirmed that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) are both under formal investigation for not acting to stop the abstraction of water, leaving a section of the river severely depleted, on the River Crumlin that is preventing adult fish from reaching their spawning grounds. Footage showing whole sections of the Crumlin River, in County Antrim, drying out upstream from Crumlin town has been provided to the OEP in the referral made by Fish Legal on behalf of the Crumlin and District Angling Association. Fish Legal has asked the OEP to investigate ongoing breaches ...

Source: Fish Focus