Archbishop expresses concern at condition of Lough Neagh

The Catholic Archbishop of Ireland has expressed concern at the impact of the “ecological deterioration” at Lough Neagh.

Archbishop Eamon Martin was speaking after a visit to the lough along with other church leaders.

The delegation, which included Church of Ireland Archbishop John McDowell, Presbyterian Moderator Rev Trevor Gribben and Rev Alan Wardlow, president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, visited Lough Neagh and Coney Island.

They also heard from members of the local communities, fishermen and conservationists.

It came after blue-green algae again returned to Lough Neagh this summer.

Noxious blooms have covered large swathes of the UK’s largest freshwater lake by surface area during the previous two summers and also affected other waterways and beaches in the region.

Nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural fertiliser running off fields and from wastewater treatment are said to be a contributory factor in the blue-green algae blooms.

The spread of the invasive zebra mussel species is also understood to have played a role in the blooms, as they have made the water clearer, allowing more sunlight to penetrate, stimulating more algal photosynthesis.

Climate change is another factor as water temperatures rise.

The Stormont Executive last year launched an action plan to deal with the environmental crisis at the lough.

Last week brown eel fishing was cancelled in the area due to environmental changes.

Archbishop Martin said they are all concerned about the lough.

“Everything about this lough is now under some kind of threat,” he said.

“I know there’s all sorts of discussions going on at a multi-agency level to see what can we do together to save Lough Neagh so that it’s here for future generations, just as it has been handed on to us.

“As church leaders our reason for being here is to give thanks to God for the wonder and beauty of creation, this amazing gift that is given to us in the earth for us to look after as responsible stewards of creation.

“The situation surrounding Lough Neagh is in a way a microcosm of the greater issues surrounding our common home, this Earth, the planet here on which we live, which has been entrusted to us by God for us to care for, to look after.”

Responding, Stormont Agriculture and Environment Minister Andrew Muir hailed the “powerful words from Archbishop Martin”.

“As he says, Lough Neagh is a precious gift and we all have a responsibility to look after it,” he said.

“I will continue to do everything in my power to work collaboratively and reverse the decades of environmental damage that has occurred.”