Calls for urgent action as blue-green algae blankets Lough Neagh for third summer
Fishermen, campaigners and farmers urged politicians to accelerate measures as cyanobacterial blooms spread across Northern Ireland's largest freshwater lake
Residents, fishermen and campaigners called for urgent political action on Monday as blue-green algae continued to smother Lough Neagh, marking a third consecutive summer of dense cyanobacterial blooms on Northern Ireland’s largest freshwater lake.
About 100 people attended a public meeting at the Kinturk Cultural Centre in County Tyrone, where fishermen and local campaigners described the scene on the lough as "heart-wrenching" and urged ministers to accelerate action to tackle sources of nutrient pollution.
Gary McErlain, a local fisherman, told the meeting that the ongoing crisis had left fishing communities frustrated and economically vulnerable. The Lough Neagh Fishermen's Co-op extended a ban on commercial eel fishing earlier this summer amid concerns over water quality and stock health. Blue-green algal blooms have been recorded more than 100 times across Northern Ireland this year, with the majority of detections at Lough Neagh and the Lower Bann, and additional sightings at Lough Erne.
Bernadette McAliskey of the Lough Neagh Development Trust said ministers had attempted interventions but that progress had been insufficient. "If we want to save the lough, we'll not be saved from up on high. We'll have to do it ourselves," she told the meeting, warning that the lake — she noted is more than 400 million years old — could persist but may become unable to sustain plant, insect and bird life.
Scientists and officials say the primary driver of the blooms is nutrient enrichment, largely from agricultural sources, with additional inputs from wastewater treatment works, septic tank seepage and localized industrial pollution along the lough’s shores. John McLenaghan of the Ulster Farmers' Union told the meeting farmers recognised the importance of water quality and rejected a simple blame narrative, while acknowledging the need for practical measures on farms.
Blue-green algae, technically cyanobacteria, are naturally present in inland waters but proliferate into visible blooms when shallow, warm, nutrient-rich surface waters receive sustained sunlight. Blooms can discolour water or create mats on the surface and can cause skin irritation or sickness in humans; the greatest risk is to animals, including pets, livestock and wildlife.
The Northern Ireland Executive has included a range of measures in its action plan and has piloted potential technical fixes. Two small-business research initiatives are testing mitigation and monitoring technologies, and the second phases of those pilots are due to be announced soon. Proposed technical options under trial include a "bubble barrier" intended to reduce nutrient movement in waterways and the use of drone and satellite imagery combined with predictive analytics to detect and forecast bloom formation.
Longer-term schemes seek to reduce the nutrient load entering the lough from agriculture. The Sustainable Utilisation of Livestock Slurry (SULS) programme aims to address the region's manure surplus. The Soil Nutrient Health Scheme is in its final year and has tested fields across Northern Ireland to map nutrient levels. The more immediate regulatory tool, the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP), is designed to control agricultural runoff into watercourses.
Officials and campaigners caution that many of the agricultural and infrastructural changes needed to lower nutrient inputs will take years to implement and to show measurable benefits in the lough’s water quality. Community members at the meeting urged ministers to speed up funding and regulatory action, and called for clearer short‑term measures to reduce harm to wildlife and livelihoods.
The public gathering followed demonstrations this summer by fishing and community groups who say the frequency and scale of blooms have increased, affecting both the ecology of the lough and economic activities such as commercial eel fisheries. Local spokespeople said politicians must provide targeted support for affected communities while accelerating the rollout of monitoring and mitigation projects.
Northern Ireland environment and agriculture departments have acknowledged the challenge and point to ongoing programmes intended to reduce nutrient pollution and to improve surveillance. Scientists and local stakeholders say coordinated action on land management, wastewater infrastructure and rapid-response monitoring will be necessary to reduce the frequency of harmful cyanobacterial blooms and to protect the lough's ecological and economic functions.
As the algae season continues, fishing communities, conservation groups and farmers called for a shared, accelerated approach to both immediate mitigation and sustained reductions in nutrient inputs to Lough Neagh.