In 2015, the Salmon and Trout Conservation launched the Riverfly Census to collect high resolution, scientifically robust data about the state of our rivers and the pressures facing them.

River insects spend the majority of their lives in the water as nymphs, making them brilliant indicators of river health. their continuous exposure to water makes examining them much more informative than, for instance, government agency once a month spot chemical samples.

Loss of insects has become an issue of international concern, and globally, aquatic insects are faring the worst, with 33% of species threatened compared to 28% of terrestrial taxa.

Closer to home, over 30 years of monitoring on the River Tywi in Wales revealed that freshwater invertebrates are becoming extinct twice as fast as any other ecosystem.

• Overall the analysis revealed that 46% of the Autumn samples failed the proposed WFD standard for chemicals
• The 3 main pressures impacting the 12 rivers tested are chemicals, sediments and phosphates.
• Wensum and Welland were ranked the worst for water quality.
• 100% of the chalk streams sampled exhibited concerning nutrient stress at one or more sites.
• 58% of census rivers indicated concerning pressure from sediment at 3 or more of their sampled sites.

If your group wants to get involved, follow the link below for some information on SmartRivers framework and details on some funding available to help you take this forward.

Photo credit: Don Stazicker