05.12.23

South West Water continue to fail rivers in the southwest of England

South West Water is required to publish a Water Resources…

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04.12.23

BBC Panorama turns spotlight on water pollution scandals

The Environment Agency must answer serious questions over its woeful…

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01.12.23

WildFish launch Christmas appeal to raise vital funds for Atlantic salmon conservation

Today, WildFish opens its 2023 Christmas Appeal to raise funds…

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27.11.23

2022 SmartRivers data highlights excess sediment and chemical pollution as key stressors for over 50 rivers

Today, WildFish has published the key findings from its SmartRivers…

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21.11.23

Lessons from Iceland

We've been watching recent events unfolding in Iceland with a…

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20.11.23

Winter storms and wildlife – what’s going on beneath the surface?

Winter has well and truly arrived, bringing with it shorter,…

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16.11.23

Smart Science

Species identification of invertebrates, to a near professional standard, taught…

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13.11.23

Sea Trout: what we know and the challenges to conservation

In early September, the Institute of Fisheries Management (IFM) working…

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26.10.23

WildFish and community groups raise alarm on ‘sustainable’ greenwashing claims made by Scottish salmon farming industry

WildFish Scotland and Coastal Communities Network Scotland submit legal complaint…

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24.10.23

WildFish puts OFWAT and the Environment Agency on notice

Formal letters set down what the law requires regulators to…

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18.10.23

We need to be cautious with family-level assessments of freshwater invertebrate biodiversity

A response to the recent Centre for Ecology and Hydrology…

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16.10.23

We must not be billed twice for unlawful sewage pollution

The effects of population growth, new housing developments and climate…

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15.10.23

Welsh regulator to increase monitoring after SmartRivers discovery

Our water policy officer, James, unpicks the troubled past of…

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12.10.23

The impacts of pollution on English rivers

Our freshwater ecologist, Sam, reviews the recently published research paper:…

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10.10.23

Industry influence: can we trust scientific research?

Peer-reviewed scientific literature forms the cornerstone of our understanding of…

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05.10.23

What does “protection for chalk streams” in the Levelling-Up Bill amount to?

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill is reaching the closing…

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04.10.23

High mortality on Scottish salmon farms reflects an environmental disaster

New figures published today by the Scottish Government show that…

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02.10.23

Water companies plans cannot try to pass costs of dealing with unlawful sewage discharges to bill-payers

Today Water UK has announced that water companies in England…

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27.09.23

WildFish supporters raise over £101,000 to protect wild fish and their waters

With over 180 lots, the WildFish 2023 Fundraising Auction offered…

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21.09.23

WildFish campaigning affords earlier protection for rivers in Wessex Water supply area

Last autumn, Wessex Water published its draft Water Resources Management…

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20.09.23

Sewage campaign update: enforcing the law and water companies footing the bill

Last Friday (15 September), the High Court dismissed our case…

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19.09.23

An interview with WildFish Community Hero Lucca Froud

WildFish Community Hero, Lucca Froud has blown us away with…

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18.09.23

The River Wye: a golden opportunity for regulators to catch up…

It's no secret that the Wye is one of our…

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15.09.23

WildFish High Court judgement clarifies that Government’s storm sewage plan does not deal with unlawful discharges of untreated sewage into rivers and seas

Environment Agency must urgently review pollution permits to force water…

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13.09.23

Latest Environment Agency figures show wild Atlantic salmon are in crisis

Latest figures from the Environment Agency's assessment of Salmon Stocks…

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13.09.23

Grotesque footage emerges from certified Scottish salmon farm as new report questions whether consumers are being misled by certification bodies and supermarkets

A new report from WildFish finds salmon farms are certified…

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12.09.23

Office for Environmental Protection believe there may have been failures to comply with environmental law in relation to sewage pollution

In response to a complaint from WildFish, the Office for…

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11.09.23

Conservation and community groups blast Scottish Government for its “smoke and mirrors” proposals to protect iconic wild salmon from sea lice parasites

New proposed regulation will not initially apply to ANY of…

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07.09.23

Lucca Froud takes on seven marathons in seven days to support WildFish

Wild fish enthusiast, Lucca Froud is embarking on a 300-kilometer…

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07.09.23

Warming water temperatures and the impact on riverfly populations

Riverfly populations are highly vulnerable to climate change. Warming water…

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06.09.23

The final blow for Atlantic salmon on the Rivers Test and Itchen

Southern Water yet again extends time frames to over-abstract water…

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30.08.23

A win for rivers: Britain’s first water neutral zone set to go live in the next six months

After yesterday’s amendments to nutrient neutrality rules, WildFish looks at…

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23.08.23

Southern Water’s dangerous reliance on the Test and Itchen extended till 2035

Southern Water has fallen behind in drafting its final plan…

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16.08.23

The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt

The international journal nature has published a paper about how…

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10.08.23

Declines in chalk stream water quality: the River Itchen

Madeleine Maidment and Professor Gary Fones from the University of…

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02.08.23

Peers ride to the rescue of chalk streams?

In my new role at WildFish, one of the first…

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31.07.23

Meet the Team: Guy Linley-Adams

Guy is our in-house solicitor and has over 30 years…

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27.07.23

Scottish Government launches vision for ‘sustainable’ aquaculture at trout farm run by company beset with sea lice infestations

Last Friday (21 July) the Scottish Government announced its long-overdue…

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19.07.23

Warming temperatures and the effect on freshwater wildlife

Earlier this month, news outlets across the world scrambled to…

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18.07.23

WildFish campaign launches new directory of chefs and restaurants keeping open-net farmed salmon Off the table

At the end of last year, we announced our new…

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10.07.23

Meet the Team: Sam Green

Sam joins the WildFish team as our resident freshwater ecologist.…

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07.07.23

Government says sewage plan does not deal with illegal discharges of sewage to English and Welsh rivers

In the judicial review challenge brought by WildFish this week,…

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03.07.23

Legal challenge from WildFish to be heard in the High Court

“We have one simple ask of the Government: enforce the…

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29.06.23

Meet the Team: Daniel Nixon

Last week we welcomed Daniel to our growing team as…

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28.06.23

Rising sea temperatures around the UK and the potential threat to wild fish

Millions across the UK have been enjoying a sweltering start…

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20.06.23

Sewage Pollution: campaign update 

On 4 July, we’re taking the Government to the High…

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14.06.23

Running dry

One of the world’s most remarkable ecosystems, the River Ems…

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12.06.23

Environmental campaigners demand the Government comes clean about where our water is coming from

A group of 37 national and local environmental groups are…

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08.06.23

Across the ‘salmonscape’…

Protection of aquatic ecosystems is urgently required for our rivers,…

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07.06.23

SEPA’s over-complicated sea lice management plan will not save our wild salmonids

On Wednesday 31 May SEPA published their proposal for a…

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16.05.23

SEPA fails in its statutory duty to protect River Dee from blatant pollution

Serious pollution of the River Dee, associated with a major…

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04.05.23

DEFRA consultation on spatial management measures for industrial sandeel fishing

Fisheries Policy Advisor, John Hickey, looks at the latest DEFRA…

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21.04.23

South West Water over-abstracts more than 100 million litres from the River Avon every day

The water company, which supplies water to homes across Devon,…

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20.04.23

WildFish takes part in Green Match Fund to protect wild Atlantic salmon

Atlantic salmon are in danger. The number of wild Atlantic…

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31.03.23

Sewage spilt for 1.75 million hours in 2022

The Environment Agency has today (31 March) published Event Duration…

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28.03.23

Report finds Scottish salmon farms systematically failing to meet own guidelines, with up to two billion sea lice emanating from a single farm in a single week

A new report from WildFish has found that the Scottish…

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23.03.23

SmartRivers: citizen science in action

WildFish has published its 2023 progress report for SmartRivers, a…

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23.03.23

Report by inter-governmental wild salmon conservation organisation NASCO slams Scottish Government’s failure to act on salmon farming impacts

A new report by the inter-governmental wild salmon conservation organisation,…

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22.03.23

WildFish response to the House of Lords Report on Water and Sewage

Today, the House of Lords has published The affluent and…

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06.03.23

What environmental ambition? Water companies’ interpretation of abstraction guidance will come at a cost for wild fish

Water Policy Officer James Overington considers Environmental Destination, yet another…

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01.03.23

WildFish response to Scottish Government’s Wild Salmon Strategy implementation plan

Our director in Scotland, Rachel Mulrenan reviews the Scottish Government's…

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22.02.23

Water supply will struggle to meet demand in drought

Our new report about drought paints a deeply concerning picture…

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21.02.23

Turning the Tide: British Public Stands up for Water

As sewage hits the headlines once again, WildFish joins community…

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20.02.23

WildFish Respond to Southern Water’s Plans for Water Supply

Today, WildFish submitted its response to Southern Water's draft Water…

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14.02.23

WildFish granted permission to challenge the Government’s Sewage Overflows Plan

Today, WildFish has been given permission to apply for judicial…

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06.02.23

Water companies failure to prepare England for drought will result in ecological disaster

A new report, released today, from WildFish reveals that, across…

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31.01.23

Award winning chefs join our Off the Table campaign

In October last year we launched Off the Table, which…

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26.01.23

Top UK chefs join campaign to take farmed salmon off the table

THREE award-winning and game-changing UK chefs have today announced support…

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08.12.22

Top Edinburgh chef joins campaign to take farmed salmon off the table

Award-winning Edinburgh chef Lloyd Morse has today called on fellow…

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01.12.22

Water company fines to improve water quality welcome if they are invested in the right places

The Government has announced that money from the fines handed…

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29.11.22

WildFish launch 2022 Christmas Appeal

For salmon, it's the least wonderful time of the year.…

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28.11.22

Scottish salmon farming continues to expand despite failing to address key environmental and mortality issues

Record production of Scottish farmed salmon escalates risk for wild…

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25.11.22

2022 Chalk Stream Restoration Implementation Plan

Today, the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) group, including WildFish, released…

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25.11.22

WildFish has started a court action seeking to force the withdrawal and redrafting of the Government’s Sewage Overflows Plan

In 2021, raw sewage was dumped in UK rivers by…

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23.11.22

Welcome relief for Loch Long

On Monday 31 October, the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs…

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21.11.22

Dawnfresh Disaster

An all too familiar cycle has played out once again…

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01.11.22

Baseline agricultural regulation must stay if we are serious about protecting our rivers

A report released today by the Environment Agency (EA) is…

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26.10.22

River sampling to help local activists save Lake Windermere

The role of data in freshwater conservation WildFish and local…

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17.10.22

WildFish launches Off the Table

Today we launch our new campaign Off the table, which…

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17.10.22

WildFish exposes the industry’s efforts to obscure the true impacts of salmon farming in Scotland

New WildFish Scottish salmon farming: Harvesting, sea lice and disease…

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06.10.22

Meet the team

Matt joined us earlier this year as a Farmed Salmon…

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05.10.22

Windermere: citizen scientists take action to fill the ‘monitoring void’ left by an absent regulator

© Matt Staniek. The image shows Waterhead which is situated…

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04.10.22

SEPA kicks the sea lice ball even further into the long grass

In late August, SEPA published its response to the many…

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03.10.22

SmartRivers question time

We catch up with Lauren Harley on why SmartRivers monitoring…

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26.09.22

Over £103,000 raised – our most successful online auction to date!

With over 150 lots - from fishing in the wilds…

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14.09.22

Meet the team

Earlier this year we welcomed Rachel to our team in…

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30.08.22

WildFish issues legal challenge to Government’s sewage plan

WildFish has issued a ‘letter before action’, the first step…

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22.08.22

Alarm bells continue to ring for wild salmon populations

The release of the 2021 report on the assessment of…

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18.08.22

Salmon farms: in hot water

The recent heatwave has had devastating and wide-reaching impacts for…

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18.08.22

Chemical Pollution: The Silent Killer of UK Rivers

This blog discusses the new report from Wildfish, RSPB, Buglife…

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18.08.22

New study shows English rivers exhibiting increased chemical stress and declining invertebrate diversity 

WildFish, RSPB, Buglife and The Pesticide Collaboration have released a…

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11.08.22

Saving our wetlands by farming back

River-side land and naturally wet ground (farmed or unfarmed) should…

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10.08.22

We either have a wild salmon crisis – or we don’t

Hopes were high amongst environmental groups and wild fish interests…

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09.08.22

Llandelio Poultry Unit Refused

It is unusual for national organisations to involve themselves with…

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01.08.22

Critical need for more water supply infrastructure to help protect Hampshire’s chalk streams

A Temporary Use Ban (formerly hosepipe ban) is being introduced…

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01.08.22

A day in the life of… a SmartRivers volunteer

Earlier this year, we sent our Water Policy Officer, James…

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21.07.22

Government set out new plans to supposedly reduce water pollution

Yesterday (20th July 2022) the Government announced new plans to…

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21.07.22

Uncovering population declines of Atlantic salmon on both sides of the channel  

Detailed study of Atlantic salmon shows that population declines seen…

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20.07.22

WildFish publish 2021 Riverfly Census data which shows increasing chemical pressure

WildFish has released the findings of their 2021 Riverfly Census…

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19.07.22

As temperatures rise so too does the increasing demand for drought permits

In July, Southern Water submitted a drought permit application to…

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18.07.22

As temperatures soar, are we heading for a drought?

As we bask or wilt (depending on your view) in…

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14.07.22

Cornish IFCA’s proposal will not protect salmon and sea trout around the coast of Cornwall

WildFish (formerly Salmon & Trout conservation) has written to the…

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11.07.22

Do the Farming Rules for Water actually hold non-compliant farmers to account?

WildFish (formerly known as Salmon & Trout Conservation) have written…

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05.07.22

Environmental Management Plans – A Sorry Saga

Readers may recall that the 2018 Scottish Parliamentary inquiry by…

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30.06.22

Wimbledon serves up farmed salmon from company cautioned for its environmental record

WildFish (formerly Salmon and Trout Conservation) has accused Wimbledon of…

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28.06.22

Sewage Pollution of English Rivers

Secretary of State for the Environment, Ofwat and the Environment…

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22.06.22

Muddying the waters of pollution control

Having just read the 20th June 2022 Guardian article Government…

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21.06.22

Making progress in the freshwater data landscape

Our rivers are polluted by a cocktail of chemicals, nutrients,…

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20.06.22

WildFish forces change to how Farming Rules for Water will be enforced to protect English rivers

WildFish (formerly Salmon & Trout Conservation) has forced a change…

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15.06.22

NASCO: a relevant force in salmon conservation?

The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) is an inter-government…

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14.06.22

We Get the Environment the Treasury is prepared to pay for…

In January, journalist Rachel Salvidge revealed that the Environment Agency…

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03.05.22

Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan not nearly enough

The Government opened consultation for its Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction…

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27.04.22

Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s accreditation standards worthless for salmon farms

Sainsbury's current advertising campaign boasts that it is “the first…

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31.03.22

Water companies are trying to avoid responsibility for illegal dumping of sewage

Ofwat and the Environment Agency finally responded last October to…

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21.03.22

Environmental management plan ‘agreements’ between fishery boards and salmon farmers

Environmental Management Plans (EMPs) were supposed to manage ‘interactions’ between…

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16.03.22

Loch Long Salmons semi-solution isn’t the answer

Loch Long Salmon are proposing to deploy the first semi-closed…

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10.03.22

Citizen scientists are helping improve UK rivers by profiling aquatic invertebrate communities

Analysing invertebrate samples to species level - and documenting the…

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08.03.22

Is COP26 salmon supplier Loch Duart incapable or just unwilling to control sea lice?

In the week commencing Monday 14th February, salmon farming company…

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03.03.22

WildFish (formally Salmon & Trout Conservation) takes legal action on Wye pollution

Legal notification of environmental damage submitted to the Environment Agency…

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16.02.22

Why the Griggs review signals more bad news for wild fish

On Thursday 10th February Professor Russel Griggs published a report,…

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02.02.22

Government’s Strategic Policy Statement for water presented to Parliament

The Government's Strategic Policy Statement (SPS) for water has been…

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01.02.22

Net Fishing Byelaw will not protect salmon and sea trout in coastal areas

Atlantic salmon and sea trout populations are at a historic…

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14.01.22

Wild Salmon Strategy Statement

Too little, too late Regrettably, the detail within Scottish Government’s…

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13.01.22

WildFish welcomes Environmental Audit Committee damning report on Water Quality in Rivers

WildFish (formally known as Salmon & Trout Conservation) welcomes Environmental…

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09.12.21

Salmon Farming: The Issue of Trust Part 2

Back in July, I wrote a blog explaining why one…

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06.12.21

The River Usk: A dying river?

Dr. Guy Mawle submits our final river case study for…

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01.12.21

WildFish launches new innovative salmon farming sea lice heat map

The new map highlights locations, intensity and scale of the…

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30.11.21

Chalk Streams by David Profumo

I was brought up on a stretch of chalk stream…

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24.11.21

The role of riverfly in species understanding water quality

WHAT ARE EPT SPECIES? Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Plecoptera (stoneflies), and Trichoptera…

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18.11.21

Illegal dumping of raw sewage in our rivers…

The Government admits to a massive failure to prevent illegal…

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17.11.21

Mixing medicines in freshwater, how do invertebrates cope?

Of all the ecosystems on the planet, freshwaters support the…

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08.11.21

Disappointing but not a surprise: the Government’s response on sewage pollution

WildFish (formally known as Salmon and Trout Conservation) is very…

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27.10.21

COP26 caterers sourcing farmed salmon from company with appalling environmental record

Loch Duart Ltd is the only salmon producer in receipt…

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22.10.21

New Scottish Government study confirms the severe damage being done to wild salmon populations by salmon farming

Scottish Government study confirms that many wild salmon populations in…

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15.10.21

Chalk streams: at the frontline of the river crisis

WildFish (formerly Salmon & Trout Conservation) welcomes the new Chalk…

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14.10.21

Chalk streams: to England what coral reefs are to the Pacific ocean

Did you know we have a freshwater habitat in England…

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13.10.21

Death by a thousand cuts

The Westcountry Rivers Trust has been working to protect rivers…

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13.10.21

WildFish announces new position on salmon farming

Given Scottish Government’s continuing refusal to regulate open-net salmon farming…

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07.10.21

Changes forced on organic manure application policy

Wild Fish (formally known as Salmon & Trout Conservation) forces…

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30.09.21

Call for Scottish Government to substantiate its claim that salmon farming is “sustainable”

WildFish (formally Salmon & Trout Conservation) call for Scottish Government…

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27.09.21

Time to fix the broken water sector: a ‘shadow’ strategic policy statement

Under investment in water supply and a failing sewerage system…

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15.09.21

The fight to save chalk stream – Freshwater Ecosystems on the front line of the river crisis

England has 85% of the world’s chalk streams. This equates…

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14.09.21

WildFish submits formal complaint following failure to enforce sewage pollution laws to protect English rivers

WildFish (formally known as Salmon & Trout Conservation) has submitted…

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01.09.21

Dismay at Scottish Government’s continuing refusal to address the serious environmental issues associated with Scotland’s salmon farming industry

NGOs and community groups condemn Scottish Government’s delay in tackling…

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10.08.21

The Upper Dane: a SmartRiver Study

The Upper Dane is one of 18 volunteer-led SmartRivers hubs…

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29.07.21

The River Alyn: A SmartRivers Case Study

The River Alyn become a SmartRivers hub in May this…

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28.07.21

The River Cynon: a SmartRivers Case Study

The River Cynon, or Afon Cynon as it is known…

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28.07.21

Salmon Farming: the issue of trust

At the end of June Channel 4 News broadcast footage…

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14.07.21

What aquatic invertebrate communities can tell us about Climate Change?

Situated in the beautiful Flow Country of Caithness and Eastern…

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24.06.21

The Impact of invasive species on the aquatic environment

Over 2,000 plants and animals have been introduced to Britain…

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24.06.21

The River Chew and its aquatic ecology

Like most rivers in the UK, the Chew is subject…

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21.06.21

Agricultural pollution: don’t just take our word for it.

Agricultural water pollution, and the overwhelming amount of waste that…

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01.06.21

Guest Blog: the River Avon

Thought to contain more species of wild fish than any…

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19.05.21

Spring and the increase in agricultural water pollution

For much of the natural environment spring is a season…

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27.04.21

Seaspiracy and suspect accreditation schemes

The Netflix documentary Seaspiracy has sent seismic shockwaves through the conglomerate and…

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26.04.21

The watchdog that lost its bite

WildFish (formally known as Salmon & Trout Conservation) reports on…

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19.04.21

A legal duty to “effectually deal” with sewage

WildFish (formally known as Salmon & Trout Conservation) reminds Minister…

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15.04.21

Instilling interest in invertebrates

We place value in things based on how well we…

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07.04.21

Guest Blog: The River Ribble

Running through the heart of Lancashire, the River Ribble begins…

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01.04.21

Dumping raw sewage in rivers

The Environment Agency is 25 years old today, but our…

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17.03.21

Why wild Salmon Face critical risk on the west coast of Scotland

Our natural environment increasingly faces threats to biodiversity, ecosystem productivity…

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09.06.20

Salmon farmers own data makes the case for much lower sea lice limits

Corin Smith writes, "Contrary to what you may believe salmon…

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