Warning signage is being removed from locations around Lough Neagh following this past summer’s blooms of toxic blue-green algae.

But as BBC News reports, it could be years before the ecological impact on the lough is fully understood.

Ulster Angling Federation chair Gary Houston claimed that the collapse of the Lough Neagh fly, attributed to the cyanobacteria blooms, has had a knock-on effect on all other species in the area — most notably its native trout and eels.

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) said the fly species was not previously monitored as it was “commonplace and not a protected feature” but confirmed they are “a key trophic (food) component of the Lough Neagh ecosystem”.

“We’ve been damaging the ecosystem in Lough Neagh now for 60 years or so and we’ve been doing it knowingly for 50 years, but we’ve got away without the acute impacts [until now],” said Dr Adam Mellor of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institution (AFBI).

All parties acknowledge that the current crisis is the result of multiple factors over decades — including climate change, changes in agriculture and the presence of invasive species — and some believe it could take just as long to turn it around.

BBC News has much more on the story HERE.

Restrictions have been lifted at Oxford Island in Co Armagh after the discovery of a suspected wartime munition.

The object has since been made safe after its examination by specialist PSNI officers at the Lough Neagh beauty spot and nature reserve near Lurgan, as the Belfast Telegraph reports.

A number of people were stranded in the area for up to four hours when it was cordoned off on Thursday afternoon (26 October).

One visitor, Susan Kyle, told the BBC that she and her two children had only just arrived to feed the ducks when the only road in and out was closed.

However, despite the difficulties she and others experienced, Kyle described it as “a lovely place to be stranded”.

Lough Neagh “isn’t just dying, it’s been killed” by a combination of human-made factors, one conservationist has declared as the crisis around toxic blooms of blue-green algae continues.

Speaking to The Irish Times, Friends of the Earth NI director James Orr says the situation “has literally blown people’s trust in the health of the lough out of the water”.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the lough — which is the source of nearly half of Northern Ireland’s drinking water — is in crisis due at least in part to the affects of pollution from untreated wastewater and agricultural run-off, as anglers and other groups have claimed.

Similar blooms of cyanobacteria have been recorded across the region, such as on the Lower Bann — which has lost at least one long-standing watersport business to the “unsustainable” situation — and with the latest confirmed at Lough Ross in Crossmaglen.

The issue prompted protestors to hold a ‘wake’ for Lough Neagh last weekend, as others lamented the collapse of the lough’s renowned eel fishery and even the Catholic and Anglican archbishops of Armagh were moved to call for immediate government intervention to help reverse “an environmental disaster”.

In recent days the SDLP has made a renewed bid to recall the Stormont assembly to address the crisis — the lack of a functioning devolved government in Northern Ireland since February 2022 being cited as one of a combination of factors that’s led to the current state of affairs.

Peter Harper of the Lough Neagh Partnership tells The Irish Times that other salient factors include the impact of the invasive Zebra mussel as well as climate change, which has raised the temperature at the bottom of the lough by one degree, in turn contributing to wetter weather that feeds the cycle of pollution from farmland and an overwhelmed sewage system.

“The lough’s in crisis,” says Ciara Laverty of the Lough Neagh Partnership. “The ecology’s changing, unless we do something drastic about it now. Decades of neglect have led us to this point.”

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Two archbishops of Armagh have called for a joint task force to save Lough Neagh from “an environmental disaster”.

Catholic Primate Archbishop Eamon Martin and Church of Ireland Primate Archbishop John McDowell have issued a joint statement in which they state that they have “grave concerns” that the response to the algal bloom in the lake is “too slow and is tied up in multi-agency bureaucracy”.

“Whilst multiple stakeholders debate the remit of responsibility, Lough Neagh and those who live near and around it suffer. There is a clear need for decisive leadership. We must identify the causes of pollution and devise an action plan capable of arresting the decline,” they state.

“This impressive body of water – the largest freshwater lake in these islands – is facing a dire threat from toxic blue-green algae,” the two archbishops state.

“ Collectively, we are endangering a natural asset that provides water to hundreds of thousands of families across Northern Ireland, sustains diverse fish varieties, supports wildlife and offers employment opportunities to thousands of people across the area,” they say.

“Last week, representatives of our churches visited Lough Neagh and heard from some of those who live and work around it – people who love the lough and enjoy it for all its recreational facilities, and others who depend on the lough for their livelihoods and for fishing,” they say.

“In recent days, we have heard words of reassurance from those charged with protecting Lough Neagh. Still, the algae bloom persists and poses a real threat to livestock, pets and humans. It is indiscriminate in nature and a blight on the natural landscape and ecosystem,”they continue.

“We are facing an environmental disaster and, as church leaders, we worry that the issue is not being given the priority it deserves. Before Lough Neagh approaches the point of no return, a collective examination of the causes and development of a robust plan to save this unique and ancient ecosystem is needed,” they say.

“Each one of us is called to be a custodian and a steward of creation; we all share a collective responsibility to safeguard the beauty and wellbeing of our natural surroundings and must maintain and preserve the lough for future generations to enjoy. We cannot take it for granted,” they say.

“Lough Neagh ought to be the jewel in our tourism and recreational crown and not a danger to life, flora and fauna. We will not be forgiven for our inaction or inability to come up with workable solutions,”they say.

“Our appeal is that a task force comprised of experts and relevant agencies be formed immediately and instructed to submit a report outlining procedures and actions required to avert a disaster within a short timeframe,”they conclude.

Causeway Coast and Glens councillors have echoed growing concerns over the state of the aquatic environment following recent blooms of toxic blue-green algae, as the Belfast Telegraph reports.

Alliance Councillor Peter McCully tabled a motion at last week’s Environmental Services Committee Meeting that emphasised the “detrimental impact these blooms have had on local businesses”.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, at least one long-standing business on the Lower Bann has announced its closure, claiming its future is “unsustainable” given the likelihood of dangerous cyanobacteria blooms happening “on a yearly basis”.

Cllr MuCully said the response from Northern Ireland’s Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to this summer’s incidents is “not sufficient” and his motion calls for DAERA to convene cross-party talks across all affected council areas to develop and action plan.

Lough Neagh has also been affected by toxic blue-green algae blooms in recent months, with angling groups claiming that the lough is “dying” due to the affects of pollution from untreated wastewater and agricultural run-off.

The lough’s eel fishermen have added their voices to the call for action, saying their industry has collapsed this season.

"Never have I seen so many eel fisherman resorting to scale fishing in order to make some form of income,” one co-op member told the Irish News, which has more on the story HERE.

Lough Neagh Rescue says interference with access to the water due to silting issues “will cost lives”, as BelfastLive reports.

The Northern Ireland community lifeboat group said two call-outs in recent days were delayed due to silt blockages at Maghery Canal between the lough and the River Blackwater.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” said Manus Lappin, a director of Lough Neagh Rescue who put the blame on lack of regular maintenance of the canal.

He added: “It’s a huge danger to us trying to provide the service that we provide.”

Currently the Maghery Canal is the only access to the Blackwater from Lough Neagh, as another at the Barmouth is currently impassable for boats.

“We wouldn’t have this problem if the Barmouth was clear and was maintained,” Lappin said. “The problem with all this is nobody is taking responsibility.”

BelfastLive has more on the story HERE.

A popular destination for watersport on Northern Ireland’s North Coast has blamed governmental inaction over wastewater discharges for its decision to close after nearly three decades.

In a statement on social media, Rob Skelly of the Cranagh Activity Centre said recent blooms of toxic blue-green algae that have affected Lough Neagh and the Lower Bann are travelling out to sea through the river system, past its location.

“With this likely to happen on a yearly basis we feel that our business has become unsustainable and that we have no option but to close,” Skelly added.

He also echoed recent comments from concerned angling groups in saying that “we are seeing the collapse of the ecology of the Lough Neagh and Lower Bann system”.

The Belfast Telegraph has more on the story HERE.

Lough Neagh is “dying” due to the affects of pollution from untreated wastewater and agricultural run-off, angling groups have claimed.

BBC News reports on the concerns which follow recent toxic algal blooms on the lough — which has an important commercial eel fishery — and other waterways in Northern Ireland, including Lower Lough Erne.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, three NI councils issued warnings earlier this summer following the deaths of multiple pet dogs after coming into contact with waters that had confirmed blooms of toxic blue-green algae.

But the situation goes back to at least February, where a fish kill close to Lough Neagh near Crumlin in Co Antrim is feared to have wiped out a whole year’s worth of spawning salmon and trout.

Angling club secretary Nick Hagan suggests that no one is taking responsibility for pollution of rivers that flow into the lough via untreated wastewater or alleged run-off from farms.

“The amount of slurry and raw sewage being pumped into Lough Neagh, it’s just accumulating a huge amount of nutrients,” he says. “From what I can see, the lough's dying.”

BBC News has more on the story HERE.

Three councils in Northern Ireland have issues warnings over the presence of toxic blue-green algae in their local waterways, as BelfastLive reports.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is warning people away from the water at Lough Melvin after an alarming six dogs died following visits to the area in recent days.

Another dog died after contact with the shore of Lough Neagh, where Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council confirmed the presence of the algae.

And Mid Ulster District Council has also identified blue-green algae in the waters of Ballyronan Marina and Battery Harbour.

The bacteria that comprise blue-green algae produce toxins that are harmful to humans and even more so to animals when ingested, inhaled or they make contact with the skin.

BelfastLive has more on the story HERE.

Local authorities are investigating after two dogs died following contact with the water at Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, as BelfastLive reports.

In the separate incidents on Thursday (5 May), a five-month old golden retriever and a 15-month-old cocker spaniel suffered seizures and died within an hour of taking ill after walks by the shore at Rea’s Wood, close to Antrim town.

Following appeals by their devastated owners, a spokesperson for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council said they are working with them as well as “local vets and our colleagues in DAERA to best establish the full circumstances”.

BelfastLive has more on the story HERE.