News

This Panorama programme was really good to spread word to a wider audience, but, sadly, it wasn’t news to those of us working in rivers. Official statistics verify that recorded serious pollution events from the water industry have not decreased in at least the last decade.

WTT’s Conservation Officers offer a unique, national perspective on England’s rivers, spending as they do around 1000 professional days by and in the water: they widely see evidence of pollution of rivers, whether from sewage, agriculture or other industry. When we see issues, we report them to the regulatory agencies, we record them in advisory visit reports; in normal years, we offer an expert view directly to the Secretary of State and we join with other NGOs to inform policy makers. We encourage members to engage with their MPs to gain political support. It is a source of frustration to us and to anyone who cares about rivers that the EA, NRW, Ofwat and, by extension, Water Companies, are not directed by our politicians to treat water quality as a priority with the necessary investment in infrastructure and funds for enforcement of regulations.

Good river condition is a function of decent water quality, quantity and habitat. We make no pretence that our kind of habitat-focused work will solve the ills of a river running with pollution or too little water. But our kind of work is a great way to get local people practically involved in their river and get them started on a journey that in time sees them tackling those three vital components of a good river.

WTT Director Shaun Leonard will be taking part in the live panel discussion as part of the Sportfish Virtual Show. The discussion takes place 15.15 to 16.00 on Sunday 18 April.

The show takes place over the weekend of 17-18 April and features both live and recorded events with guests including Charles Jardine, Paul Procter and Tiggy Pettifer. 

The full programme is available on the Sportfish website, along with links to the Sportfish Facebook page and YouTube channel. 

A terrific project on the limestone Dunston Beck in Lincolnshire has put this arrow-straight river into a more natural shape, together with lots of floodplain features.

Work on the 3-hectare site has turned a former arable field into diverse floodplain wetland and meadow habitat allowing wildlife to thrive. The work was led by the Wild Trout Trust and involved collaboration between the landowner, Beeswax Dyson Farming, the Environment Agency, the Lincolnshire Rivers Trust and the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. Not only will the project benefit fish species such as brown trout and aquatic plants and invertebrates, but the back channels and ponds will be great for bird species such as snipe.

Project manager for the Wild Trout Trust, Tim Jacklin said, “We’re delighted to have been involved in the development and delivery of this project along with our project partners. Creating more natural areas alongside our rivers and streams has so many benefits. As well as making them simply nicer places to be, it provides more space for water and better wildlife habitats, making our landscapes more resilient to climate change and boosting biodiversity. It will be great to see this site develop as the wildflower seeding and native planting becomes established.”

Two more groups battling to protect and improve their local, urban trout streams have both received their “Bronze” level Trout in the Town Accreditation Certificates and Badges.

The Irish Society, owner of extensive fishing rights in Northern Ireland, is running an online Festival of Fishing, on Friday 12 March 2021, 12.00-20.00. Speakers include great men and women of the fisheries world in Ireland, including Ken Whelan, Richard Kennedy, Robert Rosell, Jim Haughey, Feargal Sharkey, Glenda Powell and Trish Murphy, with contributors from across the water too. WTT’s Gareth Pedley will contribute to the Q&A sessions, to stress the importance of good habitat for the fish (and fishing) of the river. The event is free, with more information and registration at: http://www.gamefishingfestival.com

More details on this leaflet.

A new report by WWF and 15 global conservation organisations reveals the shocking fact that one in three freshwater fish species face extinction globally. 

WWF say: 

'Freshwater fishes continue to be undervalued and overlooked – and thousands of species are now heading towards extinction. Freshwater biodiversity is declining at twice the rate of that in our oceans or forests. Indeed, 80 species of freshwater fish have already been declared ‘Extinct’ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, including 16 in 2020 alone. Meanwhile, populations of migratory freshwater fish have fallen by 76 per cent since 1970 and mega-fish by a catastrophic 94 per cent.'

Wildlife cameraman Jack Perks does a tremendous job at getting fish onto our TV screens and showing the public that wildlife doesn’t have to have fur or feathers to be fascinating. His next project is to make a one hour, cinema quality film that showcases the hidden stories of British fish, everything from sticklebacks to basking sharks. He has assembled an extraordinarily talented crew of editors, composers, consultants and camera operators, including Jeremy Wade (of River Monsters fame) who will narrate the film.

The film will be funded through a Crowdfunding Campaign on IndieGoGo – Jack says ‘this is the only option to create a short film about fish as most see them as brown, slimy, boring things. However, they are so much more than that with the ruby reds and kingfisher blues on a grayling’s dorsal fin or the deadly patience of pike waiting for an unsuspecting shoal of rudd to pass by’.

The Rivers & Wetlands Community Days (RWCD) 2021 programme, funded by Thames Water, is open for applications from Friday, 5 February 2021, closing on 12 March 2021.

The programme seeks to fund practical action for local people to make things better for their rivers and wetlands, now and into the future. Following on from its success in previous years, RWCD is looking to support projects big and small, from a couple of practical days with volunteers and now too, some larger-scale improvement work for rivers and wetlands.

We welcome applications from local, non-Governmental community groups working in the Thames Water catchment, including rivers and wildlife trusts, flood groups, countryside/catchment partnerships, angling clubs and conservation volunteers.