The Riverfly Partnership

The Riverfly Partnership (RP) is a network of more than 40 partner organisations representing anglers, conservationists, entomologists, scientists, water course managers and relevant statutory bodies, working together to increase our knowledge of riverfly populations and actively conserve their habitats. The S&TA host the RP on behalf of the Partners as part of S&TA’s active engagement in the management and conservation of the aquatic environment.

Delivers the Anglers Monitoring Initiative (AMI)

This nationally endorsed RP initiative was developed from the pioneering monitoring work carried out by Dr Cyril Bennett on the River Wey. The AMI responds to the demonstrated demand from individuals and groups to pursue an interest in riverflies and have an informed dialogue on the biological water quality of their local rivers with the statutory bodies. The programme trains interested groups at one-day workshops to monitor the water quality of their local rivers, using a standard 3 minute kick sample as used by the Environment Agency (EA)/Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and recording the presence and abundance of seven groups of riverflies. The riverflies are pollution sensitive and are commonly heralded as the canary of our rivers.

The benefits of the initiative include:

• directly identifying falls in water quality and alerting the EA/SEPA to further investigation;
• acting as a deterrent to incidental polluters;
• and generating long term datasets on the biological water quality of UK rivers that can be used to monitor change.

Within a year of the national launch of the initiative there are more than 300 sample sites being monitored regularly across the UK. Case studies show how pollution events first identified by the Monitoring Groups have led to successful EA prosecutions of the companies responsible, and demonstrate the effective collaboration between the monitoring groups and the statutory bodies in helping to ensure the good ecological status of our rivers as required by the Water Framework Directive. The initiative is commonly cited as an example of best practice in conservation and the effective partnership of citizen scientists and statutory bodies.

Publishes easy to use guides to the riverfly groups in collaboration with the environmental education charity, The Field Studies Council and the Riverfly Recording Schemes. These include a: Guide to the adult caddisflies; Simple key to caddis larvae; Guide to the British Stonefly Families – adults and larvae. The Pictorial guide to the British Ephemeroptera is in preparation.

Implements species and habitat management and conservation work. A grant from Natural England has been secured for work regarding riverfly and associated habitat Biodiversity Action Plans. Vicky Kindemba, Freshwater Officer at Buglife- the Invertebrate Conservation Trust chairs the RP Species and Habitat Management Group.

Forges academic links to further research. Steve Brooks, Natural History Museum, leads the RP Education forum.

Leads the primary portal for riverfly information via the website www.riverflies.org hosted by the Freshwater Biological Association, in addition to publishing guides and articles and delivering talks and national conferences.

Contact The Riverfly Partnership for further information:

Bridget Peacock Director Paul Knight Chairman Riverfly Partnership Fishmongers’ Hall, London Bridge, London, EC4R 9EL www.riverflies.org info@riverflies.org 0207 929 6966