Sinn Fein was accused of seeking to ally the proposal to a republican political agenda, but Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill echoed Mr Wells’ concerns that the involvement of a plethora of commercial enterprises around the lough was at odds with the duty of protecting and sustaining the waterway.

A series of speakers said the lough could be purchased for development as a new ‘signature’ tourism project, along the lines of the Titanic and Giant’s Causeway initiatives. The SDLP’s Dolores Kelly, who said she grew up beside the lough, detailed its heritage and the waterway’s potential. She agreed with Mr Wells’ concern for the area’s ecological decline and backed calls to take the lough into public ownership.

Jo Anne Dobson was among Ulster Unionist speakers who opposed the proposal and said: “I would much rather see the departments of environment, agriculture and culture, arts and leisure, throwing their weight behind a permanent management body which would be responsible for the day to day operation of the lough.”

But Mr Wells told her: “The reality is that that management hasn’t worked. During the last decade there has been a fundamental decline in the ecological quality of Lough Neagh, in terms of fishing stock, in terms of its wildlife, and the planning around Lough Neagh, has been an utter shambles.”