The Angler's Riverfly Monitoring Initiative

Steve Brooks & Bridget PeacockDept. EntomologyNatural History Museum

Riverfly Monitoring Partnership

• CAMSTARS (Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera and Plecoptera National Recording Schemes)

• Environment Agency

• Field Studies Council

• John Spedan Lewis Trust for the Advancement of Natural Sciences

• Natural England

• Natural History Museum

• Salmon & Trout Association

• SEPA

Perception amongst anglers of a riverfly decline

S&TA National River Fly Survey (Peter Hayes and Alan Frake)

• Survey responses from 182 fly fishermen, riperian owners, club officials and river keepers

• Slightly under half respondents had written records

• Follows up Millennium Chalk Stream Fly Survey which had 387 respondents (Frake & Hayes, 2001)

91.1 88.8

71.564.8

47.435.9

29.8 30.7 31.1 31

0102030405060708090

100

1950-59 (34)1960-69 (47)1970-79 (70)1980-89 (89)1990-94 (95)1995-97 (111)1998 (119)1999 (126)2000 (158)2001 (165)

% c

ompa

red

with

194

0-49

Riverfly monitoring on the River Test, Hampshire Cyril Bennett, 2004

• Data from Leckford, River Test

• Bennett’s data based on Surber samples in June/July (absolute abundance data from 30 replicates)

• BWO easy to identify and count

Abundance of Blue-winged Olive (Serratella ignita), Leckford, R.Test. Cyril Bennett

100

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1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Num

bers

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re

No data

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May

June

Routine EA data

• Samples once a year sometimes once every three years

• Spring and/or autumn monitoring

• Samples widely spaced downstream

A role for angler’s?

• Anglers are strongly motivated to monitor the quality of fly life on the rivers they fish

• Anglers can be trained to sample and identify river insects

• Use this data to supplement the routine sampling programme of the EA

• Can inform EA as soon as problems occur

• Forge closer cooperation between anglers and EA

Sampling protocol• Simple method which will produce

useful, robust data to detect severe perturbations in water quality

• 3-minute kick samples, on a regular basis (e.g. seasonal, bimonthly, monthly)

• 8 invertebrate target groups

• Agreed and endorsed by the EA

• Method taught at workshops – no previous knowledge required

Workshop content• 12-15 participants

• Meeting local EA Ecological Appraisal Officer (team)

• Health and safety

• Equipment itemised (approx £80 per set)

• Introduction to riverfly identification, biology and ecology

• Hands-on training in sampling

• Recording the data

• Close-ups of riverflies

• Setting up a monitoring group

Olives Olives BaetidaeBaetidae

Small plate-like gills on the side of the body

3 tails

Medium antennae3 pairs legs

Fast swimmer. Streamlined body

Eight target groups

Using the data

• Data kept by monitoring group, shared with local EA ecological appraisal officer

• Provides a seasonal baseline of biological quality of water course

• If riverfly abundance or diversity crosses an agreed ‘trigger level’, EA appraisal officer notified

Piloting the monitoring initiative (2005-2006)

• >300 people have participated in workshops

• 30 individuals monitoring 18 sites on the River Rhymney from source to sea – recurrent pollution incident identified & subsequently addressed

• Anglers monitoring in England and Wales: River Wey; River Eden; River Sirhowe; River Taff; River Rye; River Axe; River Tillingbourne; activity on the Dove and Derwent

• Scottish Rivers Trusts: River Tweed, River Spey, River Annan, River Clyde, River Ayr

Plans for 2007New workshops planned for 8 additional EA regions:

• Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (covering 3 EA regions)

• Tyne Rivers Trust

• South Cumbria Rivers Trust

• Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust

• Wessex Chalk Streams project (S&TA)

• South Wales expansion (R. Taff, Sirhowe, Rhymney)

Capacity for one additional regional workshop

2008 – workshops in 8 new EA regions

Objectives of the Angler’s Riverfly Monitoring Initiative• To set up at least one fisherman’s monitoring

programme in each one of the 25 EA regions in England and Wales

• To establish similar monitoring programmes in Scotland in liaison with SEPA

• Data from these programmes will supplement the routine monitoring data of EA and SEPA

• Anglers to provide early warning of water quality problems and act as a ‘neighbourhood watch’ for rivers

• Provide a mechanism for informed dialogue between anglers and the EA

The Riverfly Partnership

• Network of anglers, conservationists, entomologists, scientists, water course managers which aims to further the understanding and conservation of riverflies and protect the quality of our rivers

How does the partnership work?

• Free for organisations to join

• Steering Group meet biannually

• Monitoring, conference & website groups

• Collaborates to promote an interest in the riverfly groups: make available easy to use guides, facilitate dialogue between interested parties and address the threats to riverfly populations

• www.riverflies.org

Publications from Field Studies Council

• Simple guide to caddis larvae by Ian Wallace Final version

available

• Guide to Plecoptera Families by David Pryce, Steve Brooks and Craig Macadam In design

• Guide to Ephemeroptera larvae & adults by Cyril Bennett and Craig Macadam In design

• Guide to adult Trichoptera by Peter Barnard and Emma Ross Test version available

• River Invertebrate Monitoring for Anglers A Riverfly Partnership Initiative Final version available

BLUE WINGED OLIVE WATCH

See www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk

Where are we now?

• Collaboration has made great progress

• Easy to use guides will facilitate interest in riverflies

• Envisage the Anglers Monitoring to be a neighbourhood watch for rivers

Key to the success is strong Health and Safety record and effective communication between groups and EA

• Demonstrated the demand and value

Where are we going?

• We would like to encourage new angling groups to host monitoring workshops and commit to long term monitoring of their rivers

• Establish a network of monitoring groups throughout Britain linked by the Riverfly Partnership and a dedicated website

• Urgent need for funding for a central coordination post and supporting infrastructure, including regional coordinators, to manage the National Monitoring Scheme

• Achieve WFD commitments to obtain ‘good ecological status’ on rivers

Questions?