Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney has said the lack of prosecutions for fish kills in the north is deeply concerning.

The South Antrim MLA was speaking after a local angling organisation said despite a major pollution incident on the Crumlin River in 2023, it was announced that no prosecutions will follow. 

Declan Kearney said:

“The lack of prosecutions for fish kills in the north is deeply concerning. Sinn Féin has been meeting with angling groups who also share these frustrations.

“The importance of maintaining clean waterways cannot be overstated. Their contamination has severe implications for our wider environment, including the destruction of associated biodiversity, adverse impacts upon the health of fish species, undermining the quality of drinking water, and resilience of the food chain. 

“Anyone found to be contaminating waterways either deliberately or through reckless behaviour must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

“The fact is that polluters will continue to pollute with impunity without legislative change and more robust enforcement by the relevant agencies. 

“Local angling associations in South Antrim have repeatedly offered to assist DAERA with the detection of and reporting pollution, and also tracking and monitoring processes. This decision demonstrates that the status quo approach is not working. The department should now seriously engage with this offer from local stakeholders.”