Concern continues over major fish kill near Donegal-Fermanagh border

A fish kill in a river near the Donegal border is being investigated by The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).

Hundreds of dead fish were seen floating in the river on Wednesday.

It is trying to identify the source of the fish kill in Kesh River, not far from the Donegal border.

The river, in Co. Fermanagh, flows into Lough Erne, to the east of Ballyshannon.

In a posting on facebook the Pettigo & District Angling Association said that this "disgusting pollution incident" in the neighbouring Kesh River has resulted in "a massive fish kill of adult and juvenile wild trout. This has wiped out numerous generations of fish and the river will take many years to recover. A fish kill a few weeks ago in the Hollow River in Lisnarick has caused similar devastation."

The post added: "How long are these behaviours going to be allowed to continue? Hand wringing and expressions of regret are no longer enough. We’ve heard it all before and still we are sickened by all too frequent images of dead fish like the ones below.

"Action must be taken by those in positions of authority to protect our Rivers and Loughs. And our elected Representatives must ensure that those charged with protecting our Environment have the resources and backing to do so."

Meanwhile, SDLP councillor Adam Gannon has expressed deep concerns about the incident.

The Erne West councillor said: “I am deeply concerned by the major fish kill in Kesh River on Wednesday, it has been described as the worst incident of its type for many years and has caused anxiety in the local area about the cause.

“This incident has seriously depleted the local fish stock and it will take many years to return to its previous level. There are also concerns about potential pollution given the murky brown colour of the river.

“I hope the NIEA investigation will establish what happened here and what caused this fish kill. We need to identify what’s behind this so we can take action to protect our local environment and fix any issues that may have arisen as a result.”