WildFish

WildFish Working to protect wild fish and their waters. Take action today.👇 Sign up to our newsletter 💌
https://wildfish.org/

🚨 Take action to save our rivers from chemical pet treatments. Fipronil and imidacloprid are two pesticides banned for a...
01/06/2026

🚨 Take action to save our rivers from chemical pet treatments.

Fipronil and imidacloprid are two pesticides banned for agricultural use but widely used in over-the-counter pet flea and tick treatments and preventives. They are now frequently found in UK rivers at unsafe levels.

These chemicals are highly toxic and linked to declines in freshwater insects such as mayflies and dragonflies, which are an important food source for fish and birds.

The government’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is seeking evidence to decide if professional veterinary advice should be given when products containing fipronil and imidacloprid are bought. 🐕

Let’s show the government there is strong public support for the protection of our rivers and demand that these toxic chemicals be sold only with professional veterinary advice.

We've created a template letter to make it easy for you to make contact ➡️ https://act.wildfish.org/page/192188/action/1.

Every response matters. Every voice added builds pressure. Thank you for standing with us.

This , here are 5 reasons we care about Atlantic salmon (and you should too):🐟 Wild salmon are a keystone species; they...
01/06/2026

This , here are 5 reasons we care about Atlantic salmon (and you should too):

🐟 Wild salmon are a keystone species; they reflect the overall health of our freshwater and marine habitats.

🐟 They are a vital link in the food web, supporting biodiversity from source to sea.

🐟 Wild salmon are a key part of our heritage – their migrations have shaped our river ecosystems for thousands of years.

🐟 Wild salmon are an endangered species in the UK. They are in steep decline, with many local populations at risk of extinction.

🐟 They transport essential nutrients and minerals from the ocean to freshwater and terrestrial habitats.

Sadly, this beautiful species is in steep decline, with many local populations now at risk of extinction.

A future with wild salmon depends on taking action now. ⬇️

⏰ Got 30 seconds? Over 70,000 barriers fragment UK rivers and prevent migratory fish from moving freely. Tell governments across the UK: remove barriers and reconnect rivers: https://act.wildfish.org/page/191721/subscribe/1?ea.tracking.id=Facebook.

⏰ Got 5 minutes? Learn more about our Off The Table campaign, which is pushing farmed salmon off menus, shelves and supply chains: offthetable.org.uk.

This is the dark reality of in-river barriers for wild fish:❌ A staggering 97% of UK rivers are no longer connected.❌Our...
28/05/2026

This is the dark reality of in-river barriers for wild fish:

❌ A staggering 97% of UK rivers are no longer connected.
❌Our data shows that over 70,000 river barriers have been identified in the UK, yet less than 1% have fish passage.
❌ There are an estimated 0.75 barriers per kilometre of river in the UK.
Barriers block the natural flow of rivers in the UK, trapping wild fish and preventing them from moving freely. For migratory fish, there's no way home.

But there is a solution.

When it comes to restoring rivers, the evidence is clear: barrier removal is the most effective solution. Removing redundant or obsolete structures restores natural flows, reconnects habitats from source to sea and delivers rapid, measurable ecological recovery.

Governments across the UK have the power to make change, whether that’s through new legislation or better enforcement. But, they need to hear from you. Show your support for barrier-free rivers. Add your name now and demand urgent government action to reconnect our rivers and save wild fish.

🔗 https://act.wildfish.org/page/191721/subscribe/1?ea.tracking.id=Facebook.

Let’s try to gather as many names as there are barriers in the UK - that’s over 70,000! We know it's ambitious, but with your help, we can make it happen.

A rare river beetle!Two of our brilliant SmartRivers groups are hosted by Severn Rivers Trust. One of these is the Rea B...
27/05/2026

A rare river beetle!

Two of our brilliant SmartRivers groups are hosted by Severn Rivers Trust. One of these is the Rea Brook catchment group who are ID superstars for making this exciting find. ⭐

Ecological consultants, Bowland Ecology Ltd, have confirmed that this is in fact the long-toed water beetle (Pomatinus substriatus). With just 79 records on the NBN Atlas, this species is rare in the UK and is listed as Vulnerable on the Red List. 🔴

Those long toes? They’re a clever adaptation that helps the beetle grip onto stones and boulders in fast‑flowing water, holding firm against the current.

We just had to share this bit of good news and give a huge shout out to all our SmartRivers groups, who show such passion and care for the work they do. SmartRivers is our citizen science project powering wild fish recovery through robust evidence collection, deeper understanding and community engagement.

If you're part of a local conservation group, email us to find out more about how SmartRivers could help your local river ✉️ [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

26/05/2026

Environmental DNA: a powerful tool for citizen science projects.

eDNA is robust science made accessible to citizen scientists like our SmartRivers volunteers, but don’t just take our word for it.

Here’s the SmartRivers team and volunteer David to tell you more. 🐟

Want to get involved? Contact us at [email protected] to find out more. ✉

📣 Today is World Fish Migration Day, but wild fish aren’t celebrating.Right now over 62,000 barriers, from weirs to dams...
23/05/2026

📣 Today is World Fish Migration Day, but wild fish aren’t celebrating.

Right now over 62,000 barriers, from weirs to dams, are slicing our UK rivers into fragments. They trap wild fish, block migration routes and turn once‑connected waterways into dead ends.

Imagine trying to get home, but every road is blocked. You can see where you need to go, but you can’t get there. That’s the reality wild fish are facing. 🐟

Barriers isolate fish populations, reduce biodiversity and increase the risk of local extinctions. Migratory species, like salmon and eel, are particularly affected with entire populations at risk.

This World Fish Migration Day, show your support for barrier-free rivers.

Add your name now and demand urgent action to reconnect our rivers and save wild fish 👉 https://act.wildfish.org/page/191721/subscribe/1?ea.tracking.id=Facebook.

⏰ It takes just 30 seconds.

Share with your family and friends to do the same! Every name matters.

Just in: New research suggests chalk stream salmon could be recognised as a separate Atlantic salmon subspecies.As part ...
21/05/2026

Just in: New research suggests chalk stream salmon could be recognised as a separate Atlantic salmon subspecies.

As part of the SAMARCH project, Dr Andrew King and colleagues at the University of Exeter have provided compelling evidence that salmon inhabiting the UK's globally rare chalk streams, including the Test and the Itchen, aren’t just local variants of Atlantic salmon. They appear to have a distinct, highly specialised evolutionary component, shaped by the unique conditions of chalk stream environments. 🐟

This is critically important because it confirms these rivers support unique fish found nowhere else. Formal designation as a distinct subspecies could open the door to targeted conservation and protection, vital when Atlantic salmon are in such steep decline.

You can read the full blog by visiting our website 🔗 wildfish.org/could-chalk-stream-salmon-be-a-distinct-subspecies.

19/05/2026

Unlocking information about river health. 🔓

With each generation, we come to accept a little less biodiversity, fewer wild spaces and a more degraded environment as “normal”.
Environmental DNA or eDNA is a powerful data collection tool capable of delivering a more complete picture of what's living in our rivers than ever before.

eDNA allows us to:

Detect rare and invasive species
Monitor the presence or absence of species
Monitor the success of species reintroductions
Understand the distribution of species in a river
Generate diversity baselines
Track environmental changes and target conservation

We’ll provide more information about our eDNA journey here on social media and in our newsletter. Sign up for the latest updates direct to your inbox.

🔗 https://wildfish.org/

Hi, we are WildFish. Allow us to reintroduce ourselves and our story...Freshwater species are declining more rapidly tha...
14/05/2026

Hi, we are WildFish. Allow us to reintroduce ourselves and our story...

Freshwater species are declining more rapidly than any other. In the UK, 13% of species face risk of extinction. We exist to reverse this.

Grounded in science and the law, we campaign against the prime causes: pollution, over abstraction, barriers to migration and open-net salmon farming.

Our goal is fresh and coastal waters that are clean, healthy and full of life. 💚

Love wild fish too? Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date 👉 wildfish.org/ .

Bonus points if you share this post to spread the word!

Address

Salisbury

Telephone

+447496358016

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when WildFish posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to WildFish:

Shortcuts

Share

Category