Today, WildFish has released its 2025 SmartRivers Progress Report, showcasing the impact of the 6,000 volunteer training hours delivered since the project’s inception. The findings underscore the vital role of citizen science in reversing the decline of our rivers and wild fish populations.
Last year, 245 river sites were monitored by SmartRivers volunteers. 46 of these rivers now have four or more years’ worth of high-resolution ecological data. This data is essential for targeted conservation action in the areas where it is needed most to deliver long-lasting benefits to wild fish.
SmartRivers 2025 Progress Report
Recent years have seen a surge in citizen science water quality initiatives, empowering volunteers to engage with their rivers and strengthen the evidence base for action.
Among these, SmartRivers stands out as the gold standard in river invertebrate monitoring, delivering rigorous science and unparalleled support to its volunteer community. Participants have received a combined 6,299 hours of training since the project’s inception. This training, in combination with bespoke reporting and support, enables local groups to get as close to professional monitoring standards as possible.
The accuracy of Water Framework Directive classifications is determined by data collected exclusively by the regulator.
Alarmingly, in England 52% of the 2019 Water Framework Directive invertebrate classifications were recycled from past data and not newly assessed. Inclusion of SmartRivers data would reduce the reliance on outdated monitoring and provide professional-grade data, as used by the regulator, to evidence the current condition of river environments in the UK. We’re in discussion with the Environment Agency about how SmartRivers can be used to supplement existing datasets.
With purpose-driven, robust science, we can start the long journey toward river recovery and reverse the decline of wild fish populations.
SmartRivers exists because of its dedicated volunteer community. We are delighted to announce the winners of our 2025 SmartRivers Group of the Year Award which celebrates the groups and individuals who make SmartRivers possible. The award honours Anne Voss-Bark, a dedicated conservationist who worked tirelessly to protect wild fish and their habitats – values that our groups embody every time they volunteer.
Congratulations to the 2025 award winners: Barnes Common, Beverley Brook Group.
These volunteers dedicated over 900 hours in 2025 to protect their local river. The group use SmartRivers to:
Want to join the growing number of people protecting rivers across the country? Follow the link below to find out more about how to set up a SmartRivers group in your local area.
Join the SmartRivers Community
Support like yours allows our determined campaigning team to fight the destruction caused by open-net salmon farming, pollution and over-abstraction
Find out about all the ways in which you can help wild fish…
