BBC News - 'Most-improved' rivers revealed by Environment Agency

Ian Barker, head of land and water at the agency, said Britain's rivers were "the healthiest for over 20 years" after the Environment Agency issued a list of the 10 'most-improved' rivers in England and Wales:

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Save the softmouth trout

Good to see. I bet a lot of effort has went into these improvements from guys like the Wild trout Trust etc.
Well done lads

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It is in truth not glory,nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting,but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with his life.(Declaration of Arbroath, 1320)

Listened to the EA man on today programme this morning ,no mention of angling involvement in the clear ups.
Have to say when I first arrived in London (1967) a walk across the river in high summer was probably a health risk ,hardly pongs at all these days !

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

Our wonderful waterways: Ten most improved rivers named... including the once 'biologically dead' Thames | Mail Online

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[I]"The fish and I were both stunned and disbelieving to find ourselves connected by a line." William Humphrey in "The Armchair Angler"[/I]

I wasnt that sure of this yesterday when I want up the Brent river trying to spot a fishing area....mission failed

In my Caledonian neck of the woods wild brown trout and grayling stocks are lowest for well over twenty years. Rivers are in lovely nick but hardly any fish!

It has!

PG, come out and take a bow!



Theo

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theopike.com
wandletrust.org
urbantrout.net

I haven't had chance to delve properly into this revelation yet, so I don't feel qualified to make any hard and fast comments.

Forgive my pessimism but I tend to be sceptical about almost everything the EA put out and cannot help wondering about all the rivers that have actually declined in the last 20 years. (The list gets even bigger if one goes back 40 years!).

Brilliant news long may the improvements continue.

BK

The Mersey Basin covers a huge area of North West England with its many tributaries. Once one of, if not THE most polluted river system in Europe, the turnaround over the last 30 years has been astounding! Quality coarse fish including double figure barbel, runs of salmon and sea trout, and it seems the whole system has a native brown trout population, supplemented by reasonably healthy grayling stocks.
What's more, the fishing is either free or on cheap club membership!
To me, this local phenomena is the pinnacle of the E.A.'s nationwide achievement in restoring our rivers.

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"Angling may be said to be so like mathematics in that it can never be fully understood" - Izaak Walton