Latest S&TC News & Views
Below you can have a read of the latest S&TC news and views.
These articles describe what is happening in the industry (we always have one ear to the ground), our stance on important topics (based on our extensive scientific knowledge and 115+ years of experience), and how our campaigns are progressing (what your support helps us achieve).
Our work and news covers a range of topics and issues relevant to the health of salmon and trout in our UK freshwaters.
Every month we summarise this news into a handy email newsletter, and we also send out occasional press releases - subscribe here to join our S&TC news list and stay in the know.
S&TC Special Offer – Lime Wood
If you are looking forward to brighter times ahead – and aren’t we all? – Lime Wood, the luxury boutique country house hotel, is offering a marvellous “get away from it all” package for four couples for 24 blissful hours. […] Read More
Severn Trent to adopt SmartRivers
SmartRivers welcomes its first water company hosted volunteer hub We are pleased to announce that Severn Trent is the first water company to enrol into the SmartRivers programme. SmartRivers is the volunteer arm of the Riverfly Census, where invertebrates are […] Read More
Sea lice rampant on salmon farms
Shocking photos show sea lice rampant on salmon farms in Scotland Shocking footage passed to Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland reveals horrendous sea lice parasite problems currently occurring on salmon farms in Argyll & Bute, Skye and the Outer Hebrides. […] Read More
Don’t just take our word for it
The Salmon Interactions Working Group proposals to protect wild salmon and sea trout will not work. But don’t just take our word for it….. The Salmon Interactions Working Group (SIWG), which includes Fisheries Management Scotland (FMS), has proposed a system […] Read More
Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill
Philip Dunne MP launches new Bill to tackle river pollution Salmon & Trout Conservation warmly welcomes the introduction of the Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill, aimed at tackling the unacceptable levels of raw sewage being discharged into our rivers and streams. […] Read More
It’s the perfume that you notice first.
“If we can’t conserve the most protected, how can we ever conserve the rest?” Feargal Sharkey, recently appointed a Salmon & Trout Conservation Vice President writes, It’s the perfume that you notice first. Not in that pleasingly attractive CHANEL N° […] Read More
Salmon Farming News & Views
Sea lice rampant on salmon farms
Shocking photos show sea lice rampant on salmon farms in Scotland Shocking footage passed to Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland reveals horrendous sea lice parasite problems currently occurring on salmon farms in Argyll & Bute, Skye and the Outer Hebrides. The appalling conditions documented on Vacasay salmon farm on the Isle of Lewis in September […] Read More
Don’t just take our word for it
The Salmon Interactions Working Group proposals to protect wild salmon and sea trout will not work. But don’t just take our word for it….. The Salmon Interactions Working Group (SIWG), which includes Fisheries Management Scotland (FMS), has proposed a system of adaptive management, through the sampling of sea trout in sea lochs by netting, “to […] Read More
SNH and EA formally notified of threat of environmental damage from escaped farmed salmon
Salmon & Trout Conservation (S&TC) formally notifies NatureScot (formerly SNH) and the Environment Agency of threat of environmental damage to protected wild salmon SACs following the recent major escape of farmed salmon off the Mull of Kintyre https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-53913708 Following the major escape from a salmon farm off the east side of the Mull of Kintyre […] Read More
Not just another escape
As a moderate late summer storm abated, rumours that one of Mowi’s salmon farms between the Mull of Kintyre and Arran was in trouble were confirmed by a statement from the company: “On August 20, 2020, Mowi’s salmon farm at Carradale North, consisting of 10 circular net pens containing 550,000 salmon (at 4.2kgs), shifted position […] Read More
S&TC leaves the Missing Salmon Alliance
After discussion and detailed consideration of the tactical approach, the Missing Salmon Alliance has decided to pursue an advocacy course by engaging with the Scottish government with respect to future regulation of the aquaculture sector. Salmon and Trout Conservation (S&TC) has decided to withdraw from the Alliance to pursue an alternative approach. The Missing Salmon Alliance […] Read More
Why a strict ceiling on sea lice must be applied to all Scotland’s salmon farms
Why a strict ceiling on sea lice must be applied to all Scotland’s salmon farms Wild salmon and sea trout populations in Scotland are dangerously low. For wild salmon and sea trout in the west Highlands and Islands to be properly protected from the negative impact of salmon farming, the effective control of sea lice […] Read More
NASCO 2020
Paul Knight reports on the 37th Annual Meeting of NASCO The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) met for its Annual Meeting in the first week of June, although this year, uniquely, all the meetings were held virtually by video link, with those not directly involved being able to listen in by phone. Despite concerns […] Read More
Salmon farmers own data makes the case for much lower sea lice limits
Corin Smith writes, “Contrary to what you may believe salmon farmers go to great lengths to protect Atlantic salmon smolts from the harm caused by sea lice. The problem is they only protect the smolts inside the salmon farms, not the wild ones on the outside.” Analysis combining multiple industry and government datasets reveals the […] Read More
Review of the Report of the Salmon Interactions Working Group
Executive summary Download full review here: HERE Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland’s 2016 Petition to the Scottish Parliament led to the 2018 ECCLR and REC Committee inquiries into salmon farming. The REC Committee identified that “the ‘status quo’ in terms of regulation and enforcement of the fish farming industry is not acceptable”. In response, the […] Read More
Salmon Farm Regulation: S&TC initial response to SIWG report
Report fails to advocate the simple regulatory system urgently required to protect wild fish including adherence to the precautionary principle Initial response to the Salmon Interactions Working Group (SIWG) Report Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland […] Read More
Salmon Farming: New study shows economic costs never assessed by government
An independent economic report [1], commissioned by two leading Scottish charities [2], has revealed that the Scottish Government has failed to assess the costs the salmon farming industry causes to other economic sectors and has only considered those benefits the industry brings. As a result, the report proposes the Scottish Government’s policy of supporting the […] Read More
S&TCS writes to Scottish Ministers: MSA position on salmon farming regulation
Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) writes to Scottish Ministers to outline Missing Salmon Alliance’s formally agreed position on salmon farming regulation. Roseanna Cunningham MSP Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Fergus Ewing MSP Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy 2 April 2020 Dear Ministers Regulation of salmon farming with particular reference […] Read More
Missing Salmon Alliance: Urgent Implementation of new system of regulation for fish farms
The Missing Salmon Alliance members today published updated guidance on the need for the urgent implementation of a new system of regulation for fish farms in Scotland. 25 March 2020 Regulation must include: 1. The clear identification of a Scottish public authority with the statutory function of protecting wild fish from […] Read More
Scottish Ministers’ lamentable failure to regulate salmon farming
Scottish Ministers’ lamentable failure to regulate salmon farming to protect wild fish continues, while industry’s relentless expansion gathers pace Almost two years after first Parliamentary report said “the status quo is not an option”, S&TCS, other NGOs and Scottish community groups warn that their next step is to call and campaign for a boycott of Scottish farmed […] Read More
Can a “feed the world” mantra justify trashing our marine environment?
“The suggestion that salmon farming is somehow justifiable in order to feed the world simply will not wash.” Andrew Graham-Stewart, Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland I have been cursing Fergus Ewing MSP, Cabinet Secretary in Scotland for the Rural Economy, of late. Of course, it is nothing personal. I will explain. On November 6 I […] Read More
S&TC and Patagonia deliver 170,000 strong petition to Scottish Parliament
Our partnership with Patagonia in this campaign has been extremely effective. Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) are pleased to have been able to orchestrate the delivery of Patagonia Inc’s “Artifishal” petition against open-net salmon farming, which we supported, to Gillian Martin MSP, Convener of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (ECCLR) Committee at the Scottish Parliament. Patagonia’s credibility on […] Read More
Sea lice numbers on salmon farms double in a single year
Total sea lice numbers on salmon farms double in a single year. Industry and official SEPA data underline how the rush to expand salmon farm production is massively increasing the risks to wild salmon and sea trout. “A moratorium on salmon farm expansion is now more essential than ever” Andrew Graham-Stewart, Director of Salmon and […] Read More
Response to MOWI decision to close Loch Ewe salmon farm
Mowi (previously Marine Harvest) has announced that it is to close its highly contentious salmon farm in Loch Ewe, Wester Ross. Andrew Graham-Stewart, Director of S&TC Scotland (S&TCS), said: “We welcome Mowi’s decision to close the Loch Ewe farm. There can be no doubt that the decision is a vindication of S&TCS’ long campaign […] Read More
ARTIFISHAL & Patagonia Inc
“The thing that has struck us at the screenings we have attended is that the audience is far from being just anglers – it has been great seeing so many younger folk there and hearing their reaction to the issues” Paul Knight, CEO Salmon & Trout Conservation In 2019 one of Patagonia’s core global campaigns […] Read More
Salmon farming being supported by hands-off regulation and taxpayers’ money
FOI reveals hands-off regulation of salmon farming’s environmental impactand the lavish use of taxpayers’ money to support the industry Freedom of Information requests made by Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Marine Scotland, the Fish Health Inspectorate and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have shown the extent of Scottish […] Read More
NASCO 2019
“With S&TC’s Chairman, CEO, Head of Science and Scottish Director actively involved in NASCO, we are playing a genuinely influential role within international wild Atlantic salmon conservation politics” The 2019 NASCO meeting was held in Tromsø, Norway, this year and was preceded by a 2-day Symposium for the International Year of the Salmon – Managing […] Read More
BBC Panorama: Salmon Farming Exposed
“We applaud Panorama’s focus on the abject failure of the regulators in Scotland to carry out their responsibilities.” Andrew Graham-Stewart, Director of Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland For example, the Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorate, that polices farms for parasites and diseases, has in the last five years served only two enforcement notices under the […] Read More
The Shetland Factor
Many believe salmon farming is an issue exclusive to wild fish in the west Highlands and Hebrides. However, controlling sea lice on farms in Shetland is just as important as our Scottish Director, Andrew Graham-Stewart explains… The official figures for rod catches of salmon in Scotland during 2018 were published last week. That they were […] Read More
We all have a responsibility to save the ‘King of Fish’
The publication of new Environment Agency byelaws banning the killing of salmon in the North East drift and coastal nets was very welcome news earlier this year and brought to a close a campaign by fisheries organisations that lasted some 30 years. Scotland banned drift netting in 1962 and closed down its coastal nets in […] Read More
Scottish Government inertia marks anniversary of Scottish Parliament’s Environment Committee’s report into salmon farming
Scottish Government inertia marks anniversary of Scottish Parliament’s Environment Committee’s report into salmon farming Industry allowed to persist with business as usual a year after Government was told ‘the status quo is not an option’ One year on from the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (ECCLR) Committee’s report on the Environmental Impacts of […] Read More
S&TCS briefing as Scottish Government debate the future of salmon farming
TODAY: Scottish parliament to debate the Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) committee report on salmon farming Legislative impact is expected to follow on from today’s debate, Wednesday 6th February 2019, for which S&TCS have contributed the following briefing: S&TCS briefing for MSPs for salmon farming debate Feb 2019 STCS Briefing Addendum – SG’s response […] Read More
2018: A year in review
What have we achieved this year? 2018 has been our biggest year yet! So where has your support got us, and what have we done for wild fish protection and conservation? Our CEO’s Year In Review summaries our influence, accomplishments and campaigns over the past 12 months. View our full YEAR IN REVIEW HERE With […] Read More
Why you should go salmon-free this Christmas
A Christmas favourite it may be; but there is nothing festive nor joyous about farmed salmon. Salmon is considered by many to be a Christmas staple, its murky journey from net-pen to plate concealed behind tinsel-clad wrapping and slick marketing. Two parliamentary inquiries have this year confirmed the need for rapid change in salmon farming, which […] Read More
S&TCS warmly welcomes the Rural Economy Committee’s report on salmon farming
S&TCS warmly welcomes the Rural Economy Committee’s report on salmon farming Scottish Government must now act quickly to put in place greater protection for wild salmon and sea trout. View the REC Committee Report here Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) has warmly welcomed the Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) Committee’s report on salmon farming, […] Read More
“Organic” farmed salmon – let’s get real
“Organic” farmed salmon Similar scenarios play out at dinner tables up and down the UK, particularly during the festive season. Salmon, either smoked or “fresh”, is served and the host, feigning environmental awareness, announces along the lines of: “Don’t worry, we are always very responsible – we only ever buy ‘organic’ salmon.” But is eating […] Read More
Salmon farming industry blames wild fish for sea lice infestations
Sea lice on farmed salmon – the ultimate solution In September, following months of media exposes of salmon farming’s dire environmental failures, the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO) announced the appointment of a leading political journalist to the newly created role of “Director of Strategic Engagement”. In the SSPO’s news release, the appointee is […] Read More
Loch Roag Sea Lice: SSPO Defence Falls Flat
Mea culpa……mea what? On September 3 we issued a news release detailing the deaths, in the Blackwater River (Isle of Lewis), of a substantial proportion of this Hebridean system’s wild adult salmon run. The tip of the iceberg The corpses removed from the tidal Sea pool were likely just the tip of the iceberg […] Read More
Wild Adult Salmon Run Decimated By Sea Lice
Important Hebridean adult wild salmon run decimated by parasites as sea lice numbers on local salmon farms rise and dead farmed fish are taken ashore for burial Underwater video and photos show graphic evidence of wild salmon covered in parasites Above: A dead wild adult Blackwater salmon, fatally wounded after its skin has been stripped […] Read More
The curious case of the great salmon escape that wasn’t…
Scottish Ministers again failing to comply with FOI law over mysterious 2016 salmon farm escape of 300,000 fish that company now says never happened…. The reporting of the disappearance of 300,000 farmed salmon in 2016, understood at the time to be the industry’s biggest escape in many years, raises serious questions about the oversight […] Read More
S&TCS FOI Requests: Scottish Government still not responding lawfully
S&TCS FOI Requests The Scottish Information Commissioner has issued yet another decision [1] against Scottish Ministers for their failure to comply with freedom of information law. This is now added to seven other decisions obtained in the last 15 months by S&TCS to do with requests for information about salmon farms. Eight decisions from the […] Read More
Scottish salmon farming seeks to expand as publication of Scottish Parliament’s Rural Economy Committee report approaches
Whilst the report of the Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) Committee into salmon farming in Scotland is awaited (scheduled for “early autumn”), applications for new salmon farms, or expansion of existing farms, are continuing apace. Applications to increase tonnage are in the pipeline from southern Argyll to the northern isles. These applications are generally not […] Read More
SSPO retreats from commitments given in evidence session to MSPs
Salmon farmers renege on transparency promises to Scottish Parliament’s Environment Committee Scotland’s salmon farmers have delivered an extraordinary snub to the Scottish Parliament’s influential Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (ECCLR) Committee. SSPO commitments to transparency on sea lice data made in oral evidence have been reneged on, ignoring the unanimous demands […] Read More
NASF &ASF sign 12-year salmon agreement with Greenland fishermen
NASF & ASF Agreement The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) and the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) have signed new agreements with commercial fishermen in Greenland and the Faroe Islands that will protect thousands of adult wild Atlantic salmon from commercial nets and longlines, allowing them to return to North American and European rivers. We welcome […] Read More
New study confirms impact of sea lice on sea trout
Impact of sea lice on sea trout A noteworthy scientific paper which confirms impact of sea lice on sea trout has just been published in the prestigious Journal of Fish Biology, entitled “The influence of aquaculture unit proximity on the pattern of Lepeophtheirus salmonis [SEA LICE] infection of anadromous Salmo trutta [SEA TROUT] populations on the Isle of […] Read More
SSPO ignores many requirements set out by Parliamentary Committee
Salmon farming industry’s selective release of individual farm sea lice data falls far short of what is required Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TC Scotland) is dismayed that this week’s publication by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) of sea lice data for January, on an individual farm basis (see http://scottishsalmon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Lice-averages-Jan-2018.pdf), falls far short of […] Read More
Living Rivers News & Views
Severn Trent to adopt SmartRivers
SmartRivers welcomes its first water company hosted volunteer hub We are pleased to announce that Severn Trent is the first water company to enrol into the SmartRivers programme. SmartRivers is the volunteer arm of the Riverfly Census, where invertebrates are sampled and analysed to species-level. The species lists are then used to calculate biometrics that […] Read More
Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill
Philip Dunne MP launches new Bill to tackle river pollution Salmon & Trout Conservation warmly welcomes the introduction of the Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill, aimed at tackling the unacceptable levels of raw sewage being discharged into our rivers and streams. Rt. Hon Philip Dunne MP for Ludlow has published his Private Member’s Bill designed to […] Read More
It’s the perfume that you notice first.
“If we can’t conserve the most protected, how can we ever conserve the rest?” Feargal Sharkey, recently appointed a Salmon & Trout Conservation Vice President writes, It’s the perfume that you notice first. Not in that pleasingly attractive CHANEL N° 5 kind of a way but more in that acrid, back of the throat, ammonia […] Read More
Time for bespoke regulatory targets for all chalkstreams
Chalkstreams are as internationally rare and ecologically important as coral reefs or rainforests, and 85% of the world’s chalkstreams are found in England. With this comes a responsibility to protect them, something at the moment we are failing to deliver, with evidence of many stretches running dry, whilst others are clogged with nuisance algae and huge […] Read More
SmartRivers developments and achievements during lockdown
As with everything right now, SmartRivers (the volunteer arm of the Riverfly Census) is navigating its way through the ‘new normal’. However, despite restrictions forcing us to postpone travelling and training courses this year, lockdown gave us the time to make SmartRivers even smarter. SmartRivers – now an IFM certified course We are delighted […] Read More
MoRPh: a tool for assessing river habitats at biological monitoring sites
As you probably already know, SmartRivers is proud to be part of the Riverfly Partnership’s ‘Riverfly Plus’ toolkit, alongside other exciting citizen science projects like MoRPh – the modular river survey River organisms respond to their environment and so it is important to monitor any environmental changes. Often the environment is characterised through water chemistry […] Read More
Persistence pays off in the pursuit of a pesticide problem
This is a terrific outcome for the river, wild fish, the wider environment and the local community. Nick Measham, CEO S&TC writes, Bakkavör is closing its salad washing plant at Alresford on the Upper Itchen. In simple terms this should result in an end to significant chemical pollution and provide much needed respite for all […] Read More
Phosphorus, Chickens and the River Wye
S&TC’s agricultural policy is simple; incentivise farmers to invest in their infrastructure and spread the word about modern soil management, but always be prepared to use the current legislation to regulate persistent offenders… Paul Knight, S&TC Fisheries Consultant George Monbiot writing in the Guardian recently highlighted the dreadful state of Welsh rivers. He focussed on […] Read More
Thirty-six toxic pesticides washed into headwaters of SAC chalkstream
Bakkavör washing unknown quantities of thirty-six toxic pesticides, which present real danger to aquatic life, into headwaters of SAC chalkstream Following on from our recent release about dangerous quantities of toxic neonicotinoid Acetamiprid being washed off salad leaves into the headwaters of a protected chalkstream, a further freedom of Information (FOI) request proves this is just […] Read More
Toxic neonicotinoid washed off salad leaves into protected chalkstream
Toxic neonicotinoid washed off salad leaves into protected chalkstream exceeds acceptable concentrations by up to 400%. NEWS RELEASE 23 June 2020 Data from a recent Freedom of Information request by Salmon & Trout Conservation shows that levels of Acetamiprid, a pesticide discharged by Bakkavör plc into the Upper Itchen catchment[1], have regularly exceeded acceptable concentrations. […] Read More
S&TC Cymru Update June 2020
Richard Garner Williams, S&TC National Office for Wales writes: In a spirited demonstration of enthusiastic collaboration S&TC Cymru, the Wild Trout Trust, the Grayling Society and the Game and Wildlife Trust recently joined forces in writing to Lesley Griffiths, Welsh Government Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs offering broad support for Natural Resources Wales’ […] Read More
SmartRivers launched in Wales
S&TC Cymru launches its first SmartRivers hub in partnership with the South East Wales Rivers Trust S&TC Cymru is delighted to announce that South East Wales Rivers Trust (SEWRT) is to host the first SmartRivers hub in Wales. The hub is certain to play a valuable role in assisting SEWRT restore the natural beauty and […] Read More
Increase in abundance: A dangerously simplistic view of river health
Species richness and assemblage gives a far more accurate assessment of invertebrate communities……….. Dr Janina Gray, Head of Science & Environmental Policy, responds to a recent article in The Times, Your article Boom in freshwater bugs bucks trend of disappearing insects (April 24th) sets a dangerously simplistic view of the health of our rivers and water life. […] Read More
Milk. A serious environmental threat?
So, here’s the shocking news about the potential of milk to pollute rivers. Paul Knight, S&TC CEO writes, One of the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic has been that the demand for milk has slumped and so dairy farmers have had to pour away their excess, cows still have to be milked, after all, so […] Read More
Chalk-Streams First
Abstraction is a major threat to UK rivers but is, arguably, at its greatest in relation to the chalk-streams, a globally unique ecological wonder located mainly in England, especially the highly populated south of England. S&TC Water Action campaign is working to counter the abstraction threat, terrifyingly highlighted in a raft of recent Government plans […] Read More
Agricultural Pollution – Educate, Encourage, Enforce
“Up to 2016, a staggering 95% of farms did not comply with storage regulations and 49% were polluting the River Axe. Environmental law breaking, albeit mostly through lack of knowledge, on a massive scale.” Paul Knight, Outgoing CEO Salmon & Trout Conservation writes, S&TC’s Census Report, published in May 2019, provided evidence that the main […] Read More
Environmental Land Management Scheme 2020
Environmental Land Management Scheme Consultation 2020 Make your voice heard: http://bit.ly/ELMS_2020 CLOSING DATE FOR COMMENTS 5th May 2020 Overview of Salmon & Trout Conservation (S&TC) Response • The main requirement is for political commitment to finally tackle the issue of pollution by inappropriate land use – particularly relevant to our rivers and aquatic life (EA River […] Read More
High-frequency phosphorus monitoring for water quality management
Using high-frequency phosphorus monitoring for water quality management: a case study of the upper River Itchen, UK Gary R. Fones & Adil Bakir & Janina Gray & Lauren Mattingley & Nick Measham & Paul Knight & Michael J. Bowes & Richard Greenwood & Graham A. Mills Abstract Increased concentrations of phosphorus (P) in riverine systems lead […] Read More
Bakkavör plc must now end pollution of Upper Itchen
Bakkavör plc must now end pollution of Upper Itchen “Continued pollution unnecessary and unacceptable.” NEWS RELEASE 13 Feb 2020 Sustained pressure from S&TC has resulted in Bakkavör plc finding a solution that should effectively end their pollution of the Upper Itchen, but twenty months after S&TC first complained to the EA we are still waiting […] Read More
Sewin and their habitats
SEWIN AND THEIR HABITATS Update 14 March 2020: This event has been postponed. All those who expressed an interest will be contacted once a new date is fixed. 10am – 4pm, Monday, March the 30th, 2020 Salmon and Trout Conservation Cymru warmly invite you to their Annual Seminar for 2020 An opportunity to hear the latest […] Read More
In pursuit of Perfection
“We are honoured by Hardy’s support for our conservation efforts. Together we share a vision for abundant wild fish stocks, flourishing biodiversity and rivers free of pollution.” Paul Knight, CEO, Salmon & Trout Conservation To celebrate the coming wild trout season S&TC is delighted to announce a very special limited release of Hardy Perfect fly […] Read More
Challenges & Choices Consultation 2020
Water Challenges and Choices Consultation 2020 Make your voice heard: http://bit.ly/challenges_choices_2020 CLOSING DATE FOR COMMENTS 24th April 2020 Are you currently watching the river you care about deteriorate and wild fish stocks decline? Concerned with how water is used in the England? Is there a fair balance between nature and industry? What changes do you […] Read More
Don Catchment Rivers Trust wins Prix Charles Ritz Award 2019
Salmon & Trout Conservation and The International Fario Club are delighted to announce the Don Catchment Rivers Trust as recipients of the Prix Charles Ritz Award for England and Wales 2019 The Prix Charles Ritz award celebrates and rewards those who champion work to develop and improve rivers. Specifically, the award is granted to initiatives […] Read More
Dr Cyril Bennett MBE becomes S&TC’s latest honorary life member
We are proud to award Cyril Bennett an honorary life membership of S&TC for his massive contribution to protecting river ecology in general and to the Riverfly Census and SmartRivers in particular. He has been a fly fisherman for 60 years which has stimulated his keen interest in riverfly identification and aquatic ecology. Cyril is […] Read More
Incinerator proposal raises serious concerns
“This proposed incinerator at Barton Stacey in the Test Valley raises serious environmental concerns” Nick Measham, Salmon & Trout Conservation S&TC do not normally comment on local planning issues but the proposed incinerator at Barton Stacey in the Test Valley raises grave national environmental issues: 1. Abstraction in the headwaters of a fragile chalk stream, […] Read More
River Invertebrate App – Status Update
We are aware users of our invertebrate identification app have been experiencing access issues. S&TC apologises for any inconvenience caused. Issued: 17:00hrs 17th Feb 2020 For anyone experiencing the ‘SQL’ error message, or any other issues when using the app complete the following steps. 1. Check you definitely have version 2.4.1 running. You can find this […] Read More
Agricultural Pollution Update – Nov 2019
Government figures show currently only 14% of rivers are classified as healthy….. Government figures show currently only 14% of rivers are classified as healthy and rural areas are impacting 35% of waterbodies (EA, 2015). Evidence from the Riverfly Census has shown the greatest stressors on our rivers are sediment, excess nutrients, pesticides and other toxic […] Read More
SmartRivers Update – Great Stour
This autumn we took SmartRivers to the beautiful county of Kent. Thanks to the generosity of Stour Fishery Association we were able to start working on the Great Stour, an interesting river that begins away from Kent’s chalk downs, yet enjoys the full character of a chalk stream due to significant influxes of groundwater from […] Read More
Riverfly Partnership News
There are many Riverfly monitoring schemes around, so it can be tricky to understand why so many different schemes are necessary. As the population continues to expand, and our dependence on the environment increases, it is more important than ever that we keep a close eye on the health of our water ecosystems. Thankfully, there […] Read More
SmartRivers is delivering results
The hot dry summer has exposed the stress our rivers are under Nick Measham, Deputy CEO, S&TC To view the full interview click HERE The hot dry summer has exposed the stress our rivers are under – particularly in Southern chalkstreams where algal growth and sediment is choking life to a seemingly unprecedented extent. Once […] Read More
Discharges from salad washing – Update
Salad washing on the Upper Itchen: A local problem with national significance… Nick Measham , Deputy CEO, S&TC writes……. S&TC’s battle to stop Bakkavör discharging pesticides and chlorinated plant-cleaning chemicals from its salad washing activities is achieving increased environmental protection, and not just for the Upper Itchen. [Previously covered by BBC Countryfile] As a result […] Read More
Chalk streams debated in parliament
We always intended the Riverfly Census to be a lobbying document as well as reporting on the science, and this has been an excellent first political outing for it. Paul Knight, CEO, S&TC In a speech during a House of Commons debate on “Degraded chalk stream environments”, Richard Benyon MP cited evidence from S&TC’s ground […] Read More
Salmon stock exploitation: Wales delays, while England acts
Salmon stock exploitation: Wales delays, while England acts On the 14th June 2019, in response to troubling results from their own analysis of Severn salmon stocks, the Environment Agency (EA) implemented an emergency bylaw prohibiting the use of certain nets in the estuary and imposed compulsory catch and release on all other nets and rod and line fisheries on […] Read More
Dear Phil, Thank you so much!
What can we say other than a huge THANK YOU!! Phil Chessum took on the challenge of running the Race to The King ultramarathon to raise money for S&TC. An exhausting 52.4 mile slog across the South Downs. Completing the course in a very respectable 10 hours 26 minutes and finishing 71st out of 750 competitors, Phil’s feet seemed to […] Read More
Response to Southern Water Fine
Ofwat has imposed the biggest fine ever on a water company for “significant breaches of its licence conditions and its statutory duties.” Southern Water has been fined £37.7m, but this has been reduced to £3m because the company has undertaken to pay customers some £123m over the next five years. Ofwat states in its report: […] Read More
Bakkavör Alresford Salads Impacting Upper Itchen
Sewage and pesticides from a salad washing factory owned by Bakkavör Group Plc may present a serious threat to aquatic invertebrate life on a highly protected English chalkstream. The Environment Agency’s response to a formal notification of environmental damage made by S&TC in June 2018, pursuant to the Environmental Liability Directive, confirms the wild […] Read More
Troubling news from Wales
Troubling news from Wales as the recently published 2018 assessments of salmon and sea trout populations point towards a continued decline. Stocks in twelve of the twenty-three principle salmon rivers were deemed to be “at risk” of failing to reach their conservation limits for sustainable recruitment and those in the remaining eleven rivers to […] Read More
Profits And Pollution
“S&TC has for a long time questioned the English water companies over their abstraction policies, especially in water-scarce, aquifer-fed regions, but now it appears that other sectors of the industry are under scrutiny.” Paul Knight, CEO Salmon & Trout Conservation writes….. Carry out the basic duties In the Financial Times recently, it was reported that […] Read More
The Riverfly Census: Launch
“If you do nothing else this month, read the Riverfly Census report which got its first airing at a mid-May reception in London.” Nick Mesham, Deputy CEO, Salmon & Trout Conservation To download the full report: CLICK HERE Once upon a time, industry was poisoning the nation’s life-blood rivers, but the story nowadays is all […] Read More
SmartRivers Update – June 2019
May saw the initiation of another one of our SmartRivers pilot hubs. We are very happy to be adding two chalkstreams – the Avon and the Wylye – to the SmartRivers family, thanks to Wiltshire Fisheries Association. Taking river guardianship into our own hands For all rivers being added to SmartRivers, a professional scientist has […] Read More
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