NATURAL RESOURCES WALES’ (NRW) ongoing investigation of the pollution of the River Teifi has found at least 1,000 fish have been killed, including salmon and sea trout.
Approximately five miles of the river has been affected.
NRW teams have been working on site to ensure control measures are in place to prevent further pollution, and carry out surveys to assess the impact on fish and other river life.
Gavin Bown, South West Duty Manager for NRW, said: “The Teifi is one of the most important recreational and net fisheries for salmon and sea trout in Wales, and is vital to the local tourism industry.
“It is also an internationally important Special Area of Conservation for salmon, as well as endangered fish species such as lampreys and bullhead.
“We’ve worked with the Teifi Rivers Trusts and other partners for many years to improve fish stocks, remove barriers to migration, and improve access to angling.
“The fisheries of Wales are iconic and highly valued so it’s devastating when pollution incidents happen, but we’ll work with our partners and do all we can to restore the river as quickly as possible.”
Natural Resources Wales is also working closely with Ceredigion County Council.
Councillor Rhodri Evans, Cabinet member responsible for Lifestyle Services said: “This is clearly a very serious matter but hopefully a swift response was put in place to reduce the impact of the release of material to the river.
“A major clean-up operation is underway and, hopefully, this should reduce further contamination of water courses.
“The incident clearly has worrying consequences for the ecology of the river but I know that officers from NRW are undertaking detailed assessments to evaluate how significant things will be in the short and longer terms.
“I have received reports from local residents of sightings of dead fish in the river, but we are awaiting further reports from other agencies which will provide a fuller and clearer picture.
“There are concerns amongst local anglers and other groups as the Teifi is so important to the environment, heritage and economy of the counties on both sides of the river.”
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