Article
posted 15th January 2024
LOUGH NEAGH
In the Summer and Autumn of 2023, a wide range of articles and opinions were circulated online and in the press relating to the decades-long problems of the lough, and it's potential ill-effects on public health, attendant industries and wildlife. This has all been brought to our attention quite recently, when an image of Lough Neagh was provided by the European Space Industry's Sentinel-2 satellite, which revealed the extent of algal growth in the lough as evidenced by a murky bloom visible from space (1).
Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland and provides Northern Ireland with a substantial amount of it's drinking water. 40.7% of NI's drinking water is provided by Lough Neagh according to the The NI Water website, which resolutely assures the public that all water at present is safe to drink - including that water sourced from Lough Neagh - while also conceding that increased levels of blue-green-algae can affect palatability (2). As to exactly what's causing the musty smell and taste of water in some parts as reported (3), I've no idea.
PUBLIC HEALTH
The so-called 'blue-green algae' at the heart of Lough Neagh's problems, is a photosynthetic bacteria known as cyanobacteria. The Public Health Agency webpage describes the health risks to humans posed by cyanotoxins, and lists skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, fever, headaches and occasionally more serious illness - namely liver and brain damage - as being the potential results of exposure (4). Indeed, research from the States has indicated a significant correlation between cyanobacteria and non-alcoholic liver disease (5), and in New South Wales, a team dedicated to researching motor neurone disease (MND), are investigating a link between MND and cyanotoxins (6). That the MND research team 'is using satellite imagery to try to match algal blooms with the incidence of MND', is certainly telling (7).
While NI Water assures us that our drinking water's safe, a Wired UK article states that 'NI Water does not test for cyanotoxins in the source water', and quotes an academic from NI's Agri-food and Biosciences department as saying, 'To the best of my knowledge, no one has yet tested for toxins either in water or fish' (8)*. The article also features commentary from a lecturer in conservation biology at QUB - who 'hasn't yet been able to secure the funding needed', to conduct research on samples of surface water. That can only change surely?
COMMERCE
As well as the potential impact on public health, the algal blooms are also putting an end to local businesses. A Coleraine water sports centre established in 1996, has confirmed it's to close due to the algal bloom with the loss of ten high-value jobs (9). And not only are local fishermen being put out of work because there's nothing to catch, they're also getting sick (10). That the Mid Ulster SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone has been reportedly 'inundated with calls from people who are worried about family and friends who've fallen ill after drinking water' (10), a headline declaring 'A major catastrophe is unfolding' is at least understandable (11). Eel fishing has also collapsed, with the Irish News reporting 2023 as the first year in five decades that those time-served folk have been unable to fish for them (12).
Concomitant with this sorry loss of industry, is the equally unfortunate demise of wildlife. Not only have Friends of the Earth campaigners staged a protest outside Stormont's Environment Department having declared it a 'crime scene' (13), surfers and activists have held a wake for the lough (14), citing pollution from farming and sewage as being major contributory factors. Much has been made of the correlation between current farming practices and the bloom, with slurry dumping, agricultural run-off and sewage being blamed for feeding the lough with an abundance of nutrients (15,16).
This purported correlation between modern industrial farming methodologies - which have increased dramatically of late in NI (17) - has been rejected by Edwin Poots, the former Northern Ireland farm minister, who claims restrictions on slurry spreading to particular times of the year, effectively rules out farming as a contributory factor (18). That other councillors have called for timely action (19) and have warned beach and river users to exercise caution (20), lends an air of duplicity to the claims of some politicians. But as I was advised by Simon Doherty (21) via the QUB press office, 'if we focus on blame - which some media outlets and apparently well-meaning environmental campaigners might have us do - we'll get nowhere.' And it's not just agricultural practices that appear to be contributing to the demise of Lough Neagh.
DREDGING
Sand extraction has been taking place at Lough Neagh for more than a century, and as industrial methods have evolved, we have transitioned from using simple shovels to that of suction hoses, whereby sediment is ostensibly hoovered from the lough floor (22). The dredgers that perform this work have left deep scars and pock marks on the bed of the lough, and it's this scarring that's created so-called 'dead-zones', with significant declines of fish, insect and bird populations being perhaps attributed to this activity (23). Those academics studying this have urged for further research be carried out, and considering such disturbances to the lough floor don't repair too readily (24), I can understand the need for it.
Unfortunately, sand extraction is big business. The lough itself is owned by Nicholas Ashley Cooper, the former DJ and 12th Earl of Shaftesbury, who's expressed some interest in selling it (25). As to who might be buying and for how much I'm not sure. Suffice to say there'll be some very interested third parties. At present five companies have been granted permission to remove sand from the lough, and they currently exist as a collective interest - Lough Neagh Sand Traders Ltd. Each company pays the lough's owner a royalty for every tonne of sand extracted, and considering extraction runs at the rate of 1.5 million tonnes a year (23), I'd love to know what they're getting.
I must declare at this point my respect, admiration and debt to Thomas Greene. Thomas is a Bertha Foundation fellow and his journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The Irish Times and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. It's Tommy's work that's highlighted the concerns over dredging and scarring of the lough bed, and he's also revealed where a lot of this sand has actually ended up.
Lough Neagh sand is used in GAA grounds in all six counties in the North, and in at least a third of Ireland's in total (26). That the sand's being sold in bags that aren't branded, with no meaningful information provided to the customer regarding provenance, is somewhat galling considering the sheer amount that's been sold in light of that fact. As to whether those clubs knew were it was coming from is hard to tell, but certainly traders purchasing bags from various retail outlets would be none the wiser. That the sand trading association created as an umbrella group for the five companies concerned have declared no correlation between their practices and the lough's current predicament (27)? I'm personally very sceptical of that. But as to how to untangle these skeins of trade north and south, well I suppose we'll have to figure that out along with everything else.
MUSSELS
I'm relieved at this juncture in shifting my blame to molluscs. You'll have to excuse me, but reading about this has been so depressing. And yet we've more bad news. Zebra mussels hail from the Caspian Sea (28) and I've read online that they were introduced to the lough when they arrived on the hulls of Russian trawlers. This aggressive species has taken to dominate the lough, and by virtue of it's filter-feeding habits, we have clearer waters and more sunlight feeding the bloom (29). As to how we can get rid of an invasive species without creating an ethical quandary for ourselves, I'm all ears. But as we can't actually eat them, what do we do?
Maybe interventionist methods using CRISPR and gene drives could allow for some form of biocontrol (30), or maybe other options are available whereby we can convert biomass to biofuel? Either way, Zebra mussels have become a permanent feature of the lough and are now encroaching on a number of waterways. As to what happens to other river and coastal systems if they get a chance to migrate out of the lough, only time will tell.
GLOBAL WARMING
If you're reading this article, I'm assuming you're persuaded by the facts regarding Global Warming. If the academic consensus pertaining to global warming and climate change hasn't swayed you, you're not alone in that some of our politicians have infamously declared climate change a veritable hoax (31).
As recently as 2017, the DUP reportedly excluded any mention of climate change or the environment from their manifesto (32). So Jeffrey Donaldson's decision to stall Stormont by using the one-party-veto system, means we're left in a strange bind of inaction by a party who routinely questions the very validity of scientific findings. This doesn't just apply to climate change. Their politicians have called into question the age of the Earth as revealed by science and we're tirelessly enjoined to just be glad of the weather.
But if we take climate change as a given and accept the facts - that lake surface waters right across the globe have been increasing (33) - what might our options be? One option might be that of floating solar farms, with some research suggesting they're capable of changing water temperatures 'as big as climate change itself, only in the opposite direction' (34). It's a wonderful idea, but as to what the environmental impact of floating photovoltaic farms might be on Lough Neagh, I'm not in a position to comment. But we need to do something.
CITIZENSHIP
Yuval Noah Harari highlights the human species' need for myths, legends and stories, and how these narratives have become starkly apparent in the modern world by our example of ascribing personhood to corporations and business conglomerates. Well, from that much follows.
In Spain, a shallow salt-water lagoon was hit by an algal bloom fuelled by fertiliser run-off, which threatened to kill off a highly endangered species of mussel (35). In the face of this environmental disaster, local residents and activists launched a petition. Nearly 640,000 Spanish citizens signed it, and in doing so, effectively assigned the lagoon the rights of personhood.
If this sounds too off the wall? Well this already applies to the River Ganges in India (36), and in New Zealand, the Whanganui River received similar treatment (37). Of course a similar move here doesn't mean the law as it stands would recognise Lough Neagh as fully human. Rather it would afford it a legal right to exist, and it would therefore be afforded the protection of legal guardians, be they politicians, citizens, academics or a mixture thereof. Considering the novelty of the lough's predicament, maybe some novel thinking's exactly what's called for.
If you would like to learn more about Lough Neagh and what can be done to thwart the bloom, a podcast with Brian Smyth of the Green Party is also available on the website and your considered feedback is more than welcome.
* Cyanotoxin analysis has been carried since time of writing and will be covered in the upcoming article, 'Something in the Water'.
Links
(1) https://www.esa.int/esearch?q=Lough+Neagh
(2) https://www.niwater.com/news-detail/12350/Your-water-is-safe-to-drink/
(3) https://www.newsletter.co.uk/health/lough-neagh-algae-pharmacist-says-musty-taste-of-his-drinking-water-has-not-improved-since-last-week-due-to-blue-green-algae-or-cyanobacteria-4343210
(4) https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/directorates/public-health/health-protection/severe-weather/health-risk-humans-blue-green-algae
(5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4428243/
(6) https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/26/is-there-a-link-between-motor-neurone-disease-and-blue-green-algae-nsw-expert-calls-for-closer-look
(7) https://www.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/885514/FMHS14081_MND-A4-digital_FA.pdf
(8) https://www.wired.co.uk/article/blue-green-algae-northern-ireland-climate-change-toxic-sludge
(9) https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/cranagh-watersports-centre-close-due-27558661
(10) https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/lough-neagh-exclusive-fisherman-left-27716958#:~:text=Gerard%20says%20he%20has%20no,algae%20has%20started%20to%20form."
(11) https://uk.news.yahoo.com/major-catastrophe-unfolding-lough-neagh-174307462.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAH8NZ0T68s4ediKWdDSkB_G7KQvVoS3CNyrN5a__4wIOsL3aOLJR0CGxPX1tzAWs3f757IHIr3_AGBW9bI_jyKKwpqM5gG80M2lUybGqIP-9vZmt-si2JUB5g_mSVDEEyt-2LylHk5O4QAkCY-3DqR9SWz_4cIlSNiXs3pC9boA-#:~:text=%22A%20major%20catastrophe%20is%20unfolding,open%20water%20to%20fish%20today.
(12) https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2023/09/15/news/fishing_for_lough_neagh_eels_world_renowned_has_collapsed_fishermen_locals-3617503/
(13) https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/environment/environmentalists-stage-crime-scene-outside-daera-hq-as-lough-neagh-is-dying/a1132828844.html
(14) https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/environment/campaigners-hold-wake-for-lough-neagh-to-mourn-its-slow-death-by-algae/a654810895.html
(15) https://belfastmedia.com/eugh-neagh-toxic-algae-now-blanketing-the-shores-of-lough-neagh
(16) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/aug/23/lough-neagh-dying-in-plain-sight-say-campaigners-due-to-vast-algal-blooms
(17) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10612-020-09488-3#:~:text=By%202017%2C%20Northern%20Ireland%20had,Bureau%20of%20Investigative%20Journalism%202017
(18) https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/agriculture-not-to-blame-for-algae-on-lough-neagh-poots/#:~:text=Former%20Northern%20Ireland%20farm%20minister,is%20a%20nitrates%20vulnerable%20zone
(19) https://afloat.ie/sail/northern-ireland-waters/item/60544-northern-ireland-councillors-call-for-action-over-toxic-blue-green-algae-blooms
(20) https://www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/news/council-urges-beach-and-river-users-to-exercise-caution-over-blue-green-alg
(21) https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/persons/simon-doherty
(22) https://thedetail.tv/articles/lough-neagh-new-research-reveals-deep-cavities-caused-by-sand-dredging
(23) https://k8s.thedetail.tv/articles/article-title-a-primer-about-sand-dredging-activity-in-lough-neagh
(24) https://www.irishtimes.com/environment/2022/12/20/lough-neagh-scars-from-dredging-will-take-decades-if-not-centuries-to-recover/
(25) https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/environment/earl-of-shaftesbury-willing-to-discuss-sale-of-lough-neagh-amid-algae-crisis-but-wont-be-gifting-it/a2076290644.html
(26) https://www.thejournal.ie/lough-neagh-sand-extraction-6173406-Sep2023/
(27) https://mpani.org/key-issues/lough-neagh-sand-traders/
(28) https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/environment/invasion-of-the-killer-mussels-from-russia/28515773.html
(29) https://www.afbini.gov.uk/news/why-has-lough-neagh-been-going-green-sun
(30) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00452/full
(31) https://www.desmog.com/2017/06/11/let-s-take-closer-look-dup-s-climate-science-denial/
(32) https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/06/09/democratic-unionist-party-dup-environment/
(33) https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2015GL066235
(34) https://mahb.stanford.edu/blog/floating-solar-farms-could-cool-down-lakes-threatened-by-climate-change/
(35) https://www.science.org/content/article/lagoon-effectively-person-says-spanish-law-s-attempting-save-it#:~:text=Like%20a%20person%2C%20the%20river,and%20nature%20into%20Western%20law.
(36) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/21/ganges-and-yamuna-rivers-granted-same-legal-rights-as-human-beings
(37) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/30/saving-the-whanganui-can-personhood-rescue-a-river