The rivers that flow through the birthplace of modern fly fishing are suffering from too much water diversion and pollutants from rural sewage plants. England’s chalk streams are legendary waters where the likes of Frederick Halford, George Selwyn Marryat, Frank Sawyer, and John Goddard cast their lines, but modern problems have plagued these ecosystems for decades. A new group of well-known UK celebrities are lending their names to a new restoration effort:
England is home to about 85 per cent of the globally important rivers, including the Avon, Frome and Stour which Sir David Attenborough highlighted in his Wild Isles series. However, they are threatened by too much water abstraction and sewage spills, which led the previous government to commission a “chalk stream recovery pack” to rescue the waterways, which trout and other species rely on.
Despite the author of the rescue plan saying it is “agreed and written”, Labour quietly shelved it after coming to power. Now a group of celebrities have joined forces with conservationists fighting to save the plan, using a letter in The Times to pressure the government into taking action.
I was lucky enough to spend some time on the River Dun about 25 years ago, and I can attest to just how special these waters are. The issue is somewhat complicated by the fact that so much of the water is private, but the trout don’t know that. It would be a shame to see these rare and fertile rivers suffer further indignity.
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