Societal acceptance of severe pollution and fish kills

Isn't it about time we make deadly nutrient seepages and toxic chemical spills a thing of the past?

Anja Murray: "Knowing as much as we do about the dynamics of fish in our waterways, it is astonishing that we as a society continue to dredge river channels; to get derogations from the nitrates directive to facilitate continued high levels of fertiliser use; and to continually let chronic polluters off the hook when industrial and agricultural discharge licences are repeatedly breached."

For millennia, rivers have been revered as the source of fertility for the land and prosperity for people. Pre-Christian deities were named after great rivers. Salmon, trout and eel sustained communities right up until recent times.

Now, almost half of Ireland's rivers are failing to meet the basic standard of ‘good ecological status’ as per Water Framework Directive mandatory legal requirements. We seem to have forgotten the value of our waterways.