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wayne
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Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 999
Location: Newtownabbey, Co Antrim

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:57 am 26    Post subject: Not again Reply with quote

Looks like another big fish kill.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7508074.stm

Action is being taken, watch this space. I will update you within the next few days as to what you can do to try and prevent this happening in the future.


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Last edited by wayne on Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:19 am 41; edited 1 time in total
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Plum



Joined: 13 Feb 2008
Posts: 25
Location: Cowtown

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:30 pm 30    Post subject: Reply with quote

This happened 1/2 mile from my house. The river was getting into great shape, I usually fished it at least once a week with  my son & caught many lovely wee brownies but pollution has now put an end to that. They say it could take 7yrs to get it back to the way it was.
Some of the local fishermen might never see that day & what will happen to the guilty party?   ---------- A WEE F*****G FINE!
This has really saddened & upset me.
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showbeastie



Joined: 20 Mar 2008
Posts: 41
Location: County Down

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:07 pm 09    Post subject: Reply with quote

It keeps happening! This time its Tyrone's Blackwater...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7510382.stm

An absolute disgrace! This will prove if MLA Sammy Wilson's new department (NIEA) is capable of living up to his promises. I very much doubt it.  

WE NEED AN INDEPENDENT EPA (ENVIROMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY) NOW!!
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dollaghanhead



Joined: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 6
Location: Belfast

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:45 pm 25    Post subject: Reply with quote

Again another Lough Neagh river poisoned and they want us to pay for our drinking water which they draw from the lough. Some how I dont think so
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wayne
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Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 999
Location: Newtownabbey, Co Antrim

PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:16 am 19    Post subject: Reply with quote

Right there are few thing we as anglers can do to push this forward.
Firstly I would recommend all anglers and especially clubs to contact Seth Johnson-Marshall, Marketing & Campaigns Manager of the ACA, on 01568 620 447 / 07780 996 488 or e-mail him at seth@a-c-a.org. The ACA to date has sucessfully prosecuted 3 polluters here in Northern Ireland and will fight all the way to gain a sucessfull prosecution. Individuals, clubs and associations can all join the ACA.
Secondly did you know that on the 1st of July the Enviroment & Heritage Society(the suppossed body responsable for enviromental issues) changed its name to Northern Ireland Enviromental Agency at an estimated cost of £30,000. I assume this name change has been created to appease us anglers and cloak the idea that they are taking action, seriously it wont wash and we as a body of anglers need to let them know this. I suggest writing to this *new* body to voice your concerns over the inadequacies of this body and to highlight their mission statement "To protect, conserve and promote our natural environment and built heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.". I have visited their website and for the life of me can not find an address to send any correspondance to, if anyone has the address please post it on here.
Lastly I have contacted the Prime Minister in relation to these continued fish kills and highlighted the concerns we have over the seemingly unresponsive attitude of the existing governing bodies. I am awaiting a reply and a petition is hopefully going to be granted to show our support over these issues. When I do get the reply I will let you all know and post the link for you to sign the petition.
Remember we need to act as a collective voice.
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showbeastie



Joined: 20 Mar 2008
Posts: 41
Location: County Down

PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:33 pm 27    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent job Wayne!
I've contacted our club secretary to see if we're members of the ACA. If we're not, we'll make sure we are ASAP!
It's our duty to protect our sport from polluters.

The louder we shout, the more they'll hear.

Tight lines.
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burt



Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:04 pm 21    Post subject: Reply with quote

Contacts within Northern Ireland Environment Agency (- ex Environment and Heritage Service) can be found here
http://www.ni-environment.gov.uk/other-index/contacts.htm
Also it worthwhile sticking the pollution hotline number in your mobile - 0800 80 70 60.
I was at a recent river basin stakeholders meeting and they (NIEA) where explaining how difficult it is to get a persecution. Being a criminal case it has to be proven beyond all reasonable doubt - which would appear to be hard to do. NIEA seemed to be in favour of heftier fines etc, but, of course these are set by the judge.
NIEA is holding stakeholder groups for all the catchment areas - this gives us a worthwhile forum to discuss our concerns. The forums seem to consist of NIEA, other government bodies - planning, forestry, agriculture along with conservation groups, fishing clubs, community groups. I'd recommend all clubs to get involved to ensure trout  and river conservation is raised up the agenda.
BTW what is the ACA - any info on them?
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showbeastie



Joined: 20 Mar 2008
Posts: 41
Location: County Down

PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 4:00 pm 36    Post subject: Reply with quote

www.a-c-a.org

Well worth checking out.
They seem to take no prisoners when it comes to prosecuting polluters!
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wayne
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Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 999
Location: Newtownabbey, Co Antrim

PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 4:03 pm 24    Post subject: Reply with quote

ACA info can be found on their site www.a-c-a.org .

Going back to the NIEA, did you know that they withheld the details of the polluter responsible for the Threemilewater River incident a case that was taken up by the ACA. Details were only released to the ACA after they threatened to report the NIEA to the Information Commissioner. ACA won the case and The Threemilewater Conservation & Angling Association were awarded damages of £1,159. NIEA were not interested in prosecuting the polluter but instead wrote a letter to the polluter charging them £29.92 for their costs of installing a boom to contain the oil. If they erected a boom to stop the flow of oil they had strong evidence to present to a court something they choose not to do and in the process hindered the ACA from pursuing the case. Details of the Threemilewater incident can be found here: www.threemilewater.org.uk/Threemilewater.pdf
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showbeastie



Joined: 20 Mar 2008
Posts: 41
Location: County Down

PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 6:24 pm 53    Post subject: Reply with quote

Proves the point...

WE NEED AN INDEPENDENT EPA (ENVIROMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY) NOW!!
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wayne
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Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 999
Location: Newtownabbey, Co Antrim

PostPosted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:18 am 33    Post subject: Reply with quote

wayne wrote:

Lastly I have contacted the Prime Minister in relation to these continued fish kills and highlighted the concerns we have over the seemingly unresponsive attitude of the existing governing bodies. I am awaiting a reply and a petition is hopefully going to be granted to show our support over these issues. When I do get the reply I will let you all know and post the link for you to sign the petition.


Just an update.
I have now received an e-mail from 10 Downing Street regarding the proposal of starting a petition to push for an independent body to safe guard our waters, unfortunately it has been rejected on the grounds that it is outside the remit or powers of the Prime Minister and Government.

Here is a full copy of that e-mail.

Hi,

     I'm sorry to inform you that your petition has been rejected.

     Your petition was classed as being in the following categories:

        * Outside the remit or powers of the Prime Minister and
     Government

     Further information: This is a devolved matter and should be
     directed to the Northern Ireland Executive.

     If you wish to edit and resubmit your petition, please follow
     the following link:
     http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/NIpollution/

     You have four weeks in which to do this, after which your
     petition will appear in the list of rejected petitions.

     Your petition reads:

     We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to: 'Create an
     independent organisation with the sole purpose of protecting the rivers  
     of Northern Ireland.'

     During the last few weeks The Six Mile River, Northern Ireland
     has seen the biggest ever fish kill of its kind. Millions of
     fish were killed due to local businesses careless disposal of
     chemical waste, NOTHING has been done about it. Further more if
     the culprits were caught a small fine would be the final
     result. What we need now is an organisation to fight for the
     protection of these rivers and ensure higher fines and prison
     sentences are imposed on the perpetrators, at the moment it is
     cheaper for those responsible to pay a light fine than to
     properly and legally dispose of this waste which ends up in
     Lough Neagh (a major supply of our drinking water).

     -- the ePetitions team

So it seems Brown can not or will not do anything.
I don't know if there is any mileage in us starting our own petition to present to the Northern Ireland Executive?
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