Freshwater Biological Association

31/10/2026

Something a little spooky is lurking in Cumbria’s ponds and tarns… this Halloween, we’re shining a light on one of our most unusual freshwater species: the medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis)!

🪱 We’re over the moon to have secured funding from Natural England’s Enabling Nature Recovery programme to support the conservation of this fascinating, often misunderstood species in Cumbria. Despite its spooky, bloodsucking reputation the medicinal leech is an important part of our freshwater wildlife. However, populations have declined across Britain due to overharvesting, habitat loss, changes in land management and deteriorating water quality. There’s still much we don’t know about where medicinal leeches survive in Cumbria and what they need to thrive.

💧 Working with Freshwater Habitats Trust, Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust and Cumbria Wildlife Trust, the FBA will begin by investigating historical records and habitat data to identify potential sites for future surveys. We’ll also visit ponds and tarns to assess habitat condition and deploy light and temperature sensors to help us understand the environmental conditions that influence medicinal leech activity.

🔎 Can you help us uncover Cumbria’s hidden leeches?

As part of this project, we’re keen to hear from members of the public who know of ponds, tarns or wetlands in Cumbria where medicinal leeches have been spotted, either recently or in the past.

👀 Have you seen a medicinal leech, or know of a pond, tarn or wetland in Cumbria that might be worth investigating? We’d love to hear from you! Every clue could help us uncover more about where this fascinating species survives and how we can help it recover. Who knows what might be lurking beneath the surface?

Find out more about our new project to support medicinal leech conservation in Cumbria:
https://www.fba.org.uk/fba-voice/new-funding-to-support-medicinal-leech-conservation-in-cumbria

🎃

29/10/2026

26/10/2026

Celebrating the full moon this evening in glistening freshwater style with the October FBA Voice!

This issue includes some lake and river lessons... a free resource and tribute to limnologist Bob Wetzel. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to share an update from members of the SIL - The International Society of Limnology, introducing an up-to-date textbook on lake and river ecosystems, and a series of accompanying free tutorials.

For fans of riverine birds and freshwater ecosystems... it is with great pleasure that we're introducing a new science article from Drs Ankita Sinha and Nilanjan Chatterjee (Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre), and FBA Fellow Steve Ormerod (Cardiff University). Here they summarise their recent paper in WIREs Water calling for conservation action focussed on the world’s specialist river birds but also more ecological research in which freshwater biologists can play an important role.

Also in the October Voice we're very excited to present a new partnership project, funded by Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme (SRP) and led the Species Recovery Trust, to help secure the future of the critically endangered Malham Sedge (Agrypnetes crassicornis)... one of Britain's rarest insects, currently known from just a single location: Malham Tarn in North Yorkshire.

Much of what we currently know about the Malham Sedge comes from the dedication of local entomologists Sharon and Peter Flint, whose passion for Malham Tarn and its unique wildlife has helped transform our understanding of this remarkable species. We were delighted to have the opportunity to catch up with Sharon and Peter to find out more about their interest in insects, and enthusiasm for the study of Agrypnetes crassicornis in the Malham Tarn National Nature Reserve.

And why, we hear you ask, is the Malham Sedge enjoying such a speedy moonlit skate across the tarn? Well dear freshwater friends, we invite you to dive into the October issue of FBA Voice, where all will be revealed!

https://mailchi.mp/fba/welcome-to-the-october-2026-issue-of-fba-voice

22/10/2026

The FBA is delighted to be part of a new partnership project to help secure a future for the critically endangered Malham Sedge!

The Malham Sedge (Agrypnetes crassicornis) is one of Britain's rarest insects and currently known from just a single location: Malham Tarn in North Yorkshire. Despite its importance, significant gaps remain in our understanding of the species' population size, ecology and long-term conservation needs. The project, funded by Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme (SRP), and led by The Species Recovery Trust, will bring together specialists from across the conservation sector to address these gaps and develop practical actions to support the species' recovery.

"This caddisfly one of the most threatened species in the country and so this project is of critical importance to its survival. The Species Recovery Trust is really excited to be working with the FBA to provide hope for the future of this rare insect."
Vicky Wilkins, Programmes Manager, Species Recovery Trust

Find out more about the collaborative new project aiming to secure the future of the critically endangered Malham Sedge:
https://www.fba.org.uk/fba-voice/new-project-aims-to-secure-the-future-of-the-critically-endangered-malham-sedge



Photos of Malham Tarn in North Yorkshire, and an illustration of the beautiful Malham Sedge, inspired by one of Sharon Flint’s photographs of this rare caddisfly.

22/10/2026

20/10/2026

15/10/2026

Here at the FBA we are passionate about freshwaters... so it was an honour to catch up with Dr. Kurt Fausch earlier in the year to discover more about his fabulous book ‘A Reverence for Rivers: Imagining an Ethic for Running Waters’.

Kurt is a professor emeritus at Colorado State University where he taught for 35 years, and an award-winning scientist and author, focused on the ecology and ethics of streams and rivers.

“My hope is that once people become inspired to clamour for real rivers, then the hard-won science that has been developed can be brought to bear on the problems. Yet, without that public advocacy, science can be easily ignored. Both are critical for having real rivers.”
– Dr. Kurt Fausch

Join us for a delightful dive into Kurt's motivations for his latest book, and be inspired by his optimism for river conservation and our intrinsic relationship with these astonishing freshwater ecosystems:
https://www.fba.org.uk/fba-voice/a-reverence-for-rivers-in-conversation-with-the-author-kurt-fausch



Image: The Cache la Poudre River as it runs through Fort Collins, Colorado, a key source of water and solace in a dry climate.

12/10/2026

For Microscope Monday 🔬 to brighten up these darkening days we're sharing some dazzling Dinobryon... from Freshwater Algae: Their microscopic world explored by Hilda Canter-Lund & John WG Lund, Honorary Research Fellows of the FBA.

Did you know... the cells of Dinobryon reproduce by binary fission? Dividing longitudinally and creating a fabulous microscopic family! One of the daughter cells remain in the mother cell case, while the other (slightly more adventurous) daughter cell moves to near the top of the case, attaches to it, and produces a new case. Colonies are formed by a repetition of this process, which you can see as the bushy colony in the image, showing the successive cell reproduction from the single base cell.

If you would wallow in the opportunity for a deeper microscopic dive "into a world of great beauty and fascination" which you normally never see but is all around you whenever you venture outdoors. Then we are absolutely delighted to let you know that we have a limited number of this 360 page hardback available in the FBA shop.

First published in 1995, 'Freshwater Algae: Their microscopic world explored' boasts over 600 colour and monochrome photographs with technical commentaries, and promises to take you on a joyous scientific and artistic journey!

Link to the FBA shop:
https://www.fba.org.uk/shop/p/freshwater-algae-their-microscopic-world-explored



Image: Dinobryon. Very common in the plankton of lakes or pools which are relatively poor in nutrients and not very alkaline.

08/10/2026

So dearest freshwater friends why are we posting a photo of a rather dapper puffin? Well, we are buzzing to see that the Bank of England has announced the four animals that will feature on their next series of banknotes.

The decision comes after nearly 500,000 people responded to the public consultation, earlier in the year, on which native wildlife they would like to see as the central image on the new collection of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes.

And the worthy winners are... the barn owl (Tyto alba), buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), being the most popular animals in their respective categories. The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) was selected because it was the most popular marine animal.

Back in June this year we were over the moon to hear that FBA Fellow Steve Ormerod, a professor in the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, was one of the experts working with the Bank of England to create a shortlist for the new bank notes celebrating UK wildlife. We had the great pleasure of catching up with Steve for a Q & A to find out more about the shortlist for the new Bank of England banknotes showcasing UK wildlife.

Read our conversation:
https://www.fba.org.uk/fba-voice/new-uk-wildlife-banknotes-a-qa-with-shortlist-panel-expert-steve-ormerod

We're now looking forward to seeing the new Bank of England banknote collection celebrating UK wildlife!



Photo of a dashing puffin taken at the RSPB's RSPB Bempton Cliffs Nature Reserve, Yorkshire, in June 2025.

06/10/2026

The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) is delighted to share our new Organisational Plan for 2026–2031, setting out a strategy to scale up our work in species recovery, citizen science, advocacy and training, while strengthening the FBA’s resilience and capacity to deliver lasting action for freshwater ecosystems.

With a vision of ‘flourishing freshwaters that sustain life’, the strategy builds on the FBA’s long history of freshwater science and conservation action, while setting a clear direction for the organisation as it approaches its centenary in 2029.

“This plan builds upon the inspiring successes of our last five-year strategy. In the lead up to the FBA’s centenary, we will scale up our action-focused science programmes to meet the urgent need to better understand, protect and rejuvenate freshwater ecosystems. We will achieve this with our talented and dedicated team and in collaboration with the scientific community, stakeholder organisations and citizens.”
— Simon Johnson, FBA Executive Director

Find out more about the FBA’s commitment to action for freshwaters in the next five years:
https://www.fba.org.uk/fba-voice/the-next-five-years-the-fba-commitment-to-action-for-freshwaters



Images showing: (1) recently tagged freshwater pearl mussels at the FBA's Species Recovery Centre, (2) freshwater research in the Lake District from the FBA Archive, and (3) some of the LD-CHARM team following eDNA research on Windermere in 2025.