Displaying items by tag: Co Tyrone
Thousands of Fish Killed in Co Tyrone River Slurry Spill
A slurry spill in a Co Tyrone river has “wiped out” thousands of salmonids in a major fish kill, as BelfastLive reports.
The incident was discovered at the weekend on the River Torrent, which leads to the Coalisland Canal, with a local councillor describing a “dead zone” between the villages of Newmills and Clonoe.
“I am very angry and depressed to be honest,” Mid Ulster SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn said. “The amount of work that people have put into the Torrent and the canal, building up the wildlife... and all of a sudden it’s just literally wiped out in a matter of hours.”
1000s of fish killed at the Coalisland Canal/Torrent River. The knock on effect will have a devastating impact on the local wildlife which has taken years to build up. Kingfishers, otters, insects which may now not return. pic.twitter.com/LDWWEskaRG
— Malachy Quinn (@MalachyQuinn) June 21, 2022
A spokesperson for Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) confirmed that it has begun a joint investigation with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
“The source has been identified and NIEA are currently working with the premises involved to identify what further measures can be employed to mitigate the impact of the spillage on the Torrent River,” the spokesperson added.
BelfastLive has more on the story HERE.
It could be years before a river at the centre of a recent suspected agricultural pollution incident in Co Tyrone is fully recovered, as the Belfast Telegraph reports.
The fish kill in the Aughlish River discovered over the May Bank Holiday weekend covered a five-mile stretch of the Northern Ireland waterway between Dromore and Fintona, with reports of thousands of dead brown trout and young salmon to the Loughs Agency.
Omagh Anglers secretary Terry Smithson said the incident was “devastating”. He estimated that five years of salmon stock had been lost and it could be as many as three years before the waterway recovers.
The Belfast Telegraph has more on the story HERE.
Gardaí Renew Appeal for Witnesses to Liffey Death
Dublin Gardaí are still appealing for information on the drowing of a Co Tyrone man in the River Liffey last weekend.
RTÉ News reports that Aiden Mullen, 35, had been socialising in the city after the All-Ireland Football Championship match at Croke Park on Saturday 30 July.
At around 3.20am last Sunday morning, Mullen was waiting with his brother and friends on Burgh Quay for taxis home when he broke away from the group and approached the river wall.
He was last seen falling into the water by his brother, who jumped in to assist him. Both men, as well as three passers-by who entered the water to help, got into difficulty.
Dublin Fire Brigade rescued four from the river, but Mullen's body was discovered shortly after.
Gardaí say a number of witnesses have already come forward, but they would like anyone else with information to contact them at Pearse Street Garda Station.
Baby Seal Found at NI Plant Hire Yard
A lost baby seal surprised workers at a plant hire yard in Strabane, Co Tyrone earlier this month, BBC News reports.
Staff at WT Hire were put in touch with a seal sanctuary in Newtownards when the pup was discovered on 6 January.
""I couldn't understand what it was," said staff member Nigel Gilchrist. "I certainly didn't expect to see a seal."
The "bright-eyed" and "healthy" looking seal pup is presumed to have wandered from a nearby stream that runs to the River Mourne.
BBC News has more in the story - including video - HERE.
