Frontline warriors in angling’s battle against pollution

Nearly 800 volunteers join Water Quality Monitoring Network to fight for cleaner rivers

The Anglers Against Pollution campaign, a powerful initiative of the Angling Trust and supported by Orvis, has emerged as a rallying cry for the UK’s angling community in 2024.

The campaign has gained traction nationwide, driven by the collective frustration and passion of anglers who have witnessed first-hand the destructive impact of pollution on rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.

The initiative was born out of the recognition that anglers are not just stakeholders, but also frontline witnesses to the water pollution crisis. Anglers are uniquely positioned to shine a light on the problem, demand action, and contribute to the solutions.

Launched with the goal of helping angling clubs safeguard their waters, the campaign has since evolved into a force for widespread public awareness, and political policy reform.

The power of citizen science

At the start of 2024, we released the findings from our Water Quality Monitoring Network’s (WQMN) first annual report. The network continues to grow and now has nearly 800 regular participants testing the water for 278 clubs across 213 rivers.

The report findings spurred a wave of media coverage from national newspapers and more in-depth articles in regional press focusing on specific local river issues. Publicity itself is not the end goal, but it is an extremely useful tool in the armoury of the campaign. Where we saw spikes in media coverage, for example in Kent about the river Medway, in Lancashire and Yorkshire about the rivers Ribble and Swale, local WQMN volunteers were also able to engage more effectively with water companies, other supporting campaign groups and even local politicians.

Anglers hold polluters to account

Whether it be water company, agricultural or industrial pollution, we focus on actions and resolutions with companies and individuals responsible for large-scale environmental damage. One notable example occurred in March when the Angling Trust helped the Hampshire River Keepers Association and a coalition of local and environment groups to organise a significant protest at the Fullerton Wastewater Treatment Works. This sewage works, operated by Southern Water, had been responsible for many years of untreated sewage leaks into the river Test with visible damage to the river, and the undeniable evidence of the WQMN yellow box of citizen science tests. As we have seen before, years of pollution reports by the riparian owner had been largely ignored and downplayed by the water company and the Environment Agency. Praise is also highly due to the concerted efforts of the River Keepers to raise the issue during the winter when we saw months of ongoing sewage leaks.

The protest was very well attended, importantly not only by the angling community but also by local residents and members of the local council. The support of these groups, now organised in a coalition by the Test & Itchen Association, was key in building a loud voice which the polluters could not ignore. Behind the scenes the Angling Trust and Fish Legal sent letters to the Environment Agency, DEFRA and Natural England and arranged discussions with politicians and the water company. To cut a very long story a little shorter, the outcome was that Southern Water, almost immediately, issued an instruction from the very top level of the company to increase the wastewater treatment rate by 60% and operate to full capacity, rather than sticking to the letter of the site permit.

It’s the water stupid

The Anglers Against Pollution campaign’s message was always very clear: pollution is destroying Britain’s aquatic ecosystems and immediate action is required. The organisations who should enforce that action, the politicians and regulators – OFWAT and the Environment Agency - were failing to protect Britain’s waterways from the onslaught of sewage, agriculture and industrial pollution.

With the support of high-profile ambassadors generating widespread media coverage, the issue of water pollution finally started receiving the attention it deserved. Behind the scenes, the campaign also prioritised policy advocacy, calling on the government and regulatory bodies to strengthen protections for the UK’s waters.

Anglers Against Pollution worked closely with Members of Parliament, meeting and briefing politicians on the Water Quality Monitoring Network findings. In March 2024, the campaign saw a major victory when a series of amendments to the Environment Act were introduced, targeting tougher penalties for polluters and increased funding for water monitoring programmes. This legislative victory was a testament to the power of grassroots activism. Thousands of anglers signed petitions, attended public hearings, and contacted their MPs to demand stronger protections for their beloved waterways. The Angling Trust played a key role in coordinating these efforts, providing resources and support for anglers to engage in the political process.

In the run up to the General Election, we published our own manifesto, hosted and attended hustings along with fellow campaigning groups. Just days before the election we hosted the, then, Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment Steve Reed on the riverbank. We discussed the work of the network, presented him with the Trust’s manifesto and secured his support for angling and commitment to working with anglers if Labour were elected to government.

The fight goes on

With the election of a new government, a new Water (Special Measures) Bill was introduced which is the wrapper for Labour’s package of measures to tighten the regulatory screw on water industry performance. We welcome the measures, such as ringfencing investment for water infrastructure upgrades so it can’t be used for bonuses and dividends, and stronger customer panels with the power to summon water company board members to explain themselves.

However, these are just the first steps and much more needs to be done. We want to see joined-up and locally prioritised approach to managing water pressures from flood to drought and pollution at a catchment and regional level.

The Anglers Against Pollution campaign shows no signs of slowing down, unfortunately there is still much work to do. We are looking at expanding the testing programme to still waters, and potentially to estuaries. The campaign has helped galvanise the angling community and attracted attention from environmentalists, policymakers, and the public alike.

Looking ahead, the Angling Trust has outlined several key priorities for the remainder of the year and beyond. These include continuing to push government for strong implementation of regulations and representing anglers on the upcoming government review of the water industry. Anglers will remain at the heart of the movement, and the Trust will amplify your voices and actions to protect the waters you care about.

How you can get involved

The success of Anglers Against Pollution depends on the involvement of anglers of all disciplines from across the country. Whether you’re an experienced angler or just starting out, there are many ways to contribute to the campaign.

1 You can join a local clean-up event, document pollution in your local waters, or lend your voice to advocacy efforts by contacting your MP. The Angling Trust also encourages anglers to subscribe for the Anglers Against Pollution newsletter, which provides regular updates on the campaign’s progress, upcoming events, and opportunities to get involved.

2 If your club hasn’t already signed up for the Water Quality Monitoring Network initiative, encourage them to do so and add to the growing citizen science data which gives us the evidence to challenge polluters.

3 Buy a Supporter Pack and show you care about our waters. Our Supporter Pack includes an Enamel Supporters Badge, Waterproof Tackle Box Sticker and Car Sticker for just £4.99 with all profits directly going to support the Anglers Against Pollution campaign. These packs are being sold by tackle shops at no profit to themselves and are also online through the Angling Trust website

4 Wear campaign clothing. Our clothing site features merchandise supporting two of our key campaigns: Anglers

Against Pollution and Love Fishing Love Nature. There are t-shirts, hoodies, caps and beanies with new stock being added regularly. With both adult and children’s clothing in sizes from small to 3XL (up to 5XL for some items) there are options to suit you or any other proud anglers in your life. All profits from the sale of our merchandise helps to support our campaign work.