WildFish Releases 2025 SmartRivers Progress Report, Showcasing the Power of Citizen Science

Today, WildFish has released its 2025 SmartRivers Progress Report, underscoring the vital role of citizen science in reversing the decline of our rivers and wild fish populations.

Since its inception, SmartRivers has collected data from 122 rivers. In 2024 the initiative monitored 243 sample sites across the UK, providing invaluable insights into water quality and the health of rivers in England, Scotland and Wales. Regulators are consistently having their monitoring budgets reduced and the Environment Agency collected nearly a third fewer water quality samples in 2022 compared to 2019. Without effective, purpose-driven monitoring we cannot start the long journey toward river recovery.

Healthy rivers sustain thriving wild fish populations. Achieving this requires effective, purpose-driven monitoring.

Lauren Harley

SmartRivers Project Manager at WildFish

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.

Volunteer participants have received a combined 1,245 hours of training since the project’s inception. This training provides the resources and expertise needed to bring them as close to professional monitoring standards as possible.

SmartRivers volunteers are trained in analysis and identification to a near-professional standard.

With citizen science playing an increasingly critical role in environmental monitoring, SmartRivers continues to set the benchmark for quality, accuracy, and community engagement.

Could your local community group be our next SmartRivers hub? Click here to learn more about the process and how to apply.