23 Apr 2026

Photo by Brandon on Unsplash   Scientists are increasingly detecting common human drugs making their way into rivers, lakes and oceans around the world, with largely unknown consequences for aquatic wildlife. A first-of-its-kind study has revealed traces of cocaine polluting rivers and lakes may accumulate in the brains of salmon and disrupt their behaviour, with […]

23 Apr 2026

Photo by Marina Helena Muller on Unsplash   The Guardian has exclusively revealed pet owners across the UK could be banned from buying flea treatment for cats and dogs under new government rules, in response to fears over their impact on songbirds, fish and other aquatic creatures. Presently flea and tick treatments, commonly imidacloprid and […]

15 Apr 2026

Photo by Colby Winfield on Unsplash Following an Environment Agency investigation, United Utilities pleaded guilty to introducing thousands of fish into Bessy Brook, near Bolton, without a permit. The EA says this sentence marks a regulatory milestone as the first time a water company has been sentenced under The Keeping and Introduction of Fish (England and River Esk Catchment Area) […]

26 Mar 2026

Image description: Salmon jumping upstream. Image by Danny Moore from Pixabay.    Migratory freshwater fish populations vital to river health and sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people are in freefall and risk collapse, a major UN assessment has warned.  Freshwater fish face multiple threats and are “among the most imperiled vertebrates”, according to the most comprehensive assessment to […]

09 Oct 2025

Image description: Shoals of juvenile salmon, known as smolts struggling with barriers in the River Itchen. Image by Kieran Gillingham.   Over 500km of Yorkshire rivers is opening up as physical barriers, a legacy from the region’s industrial past, are removed in a bid to support fish migration and improve habitats. Led by the Environment […]

06 Mar 2025

An image of the team restocking fish into the River Weaver   A total of 4,000 fish, including chub dace and roach, have been released into the River Weaver at two key locations in Cheshire, including Mill Island Weir and downstream in “The Willows” area. The restocking aims to help replenish populations after two pollution […]

06 Mar 2025

A new collaborative study, carried out between River Carron Conservation Association (RCCA) and the Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation at UHI Inverness, offers one of the most comprehensive investigations of conservation stocking of salmon in the United Kingdom.   Photo by Gingerbreadmedia / Pixabay   Wild salmon populations have suffered extreme declines in Scotland, […]

06 Feb 2025

The Environment Agency has published new report on water temperature projections for England’s rivers. According to the report, the average water temperature of the warmest summer month is projected to rise by about 0.6°C each decade. The projections indicate that adult brown trout will be under threat from high summer water temperatures at almost all […]