Fisheries and biodiversity

Posts about our work protecting and improving fisheries and biodiversity

Managing the impacts of drought in the Midlands

Two Environment Agency officers, a man and a woman, both wearing waterproof bib-and-brace dungarees, walk up a shallow, narrow stream in the forest with nets and buckets looking for any fish in need of rescue and removal to safer, deeper waters.

What is the situation in England? The National Drought Group met today (15 July) and a drought was declared in the West and East Midlands. The region joins the north-west and Yorkshire which officially declared drought last month. Dry weather …

Kielder a ‘beacon of hope’ in work to save pearl mussel

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Fisheries and biodiversity, Nature, Water
Image shows a wild juvenile freshwater pearl mussel lying on someone’s hand.

The critically endangered freshwater pearl mussel populations have declined drastically worldwide over recent decades. But conservation work at Kielder Salmon Centre in Northumberland is aiming to reverse that trend through a captive breeding programme and by working with partners to create healthier rivers.

Big data, tiny microbes: environmental DNA in action

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment Agency, Fisheries and biodiversity, Invasive species, Nature, Rivers, Water
Picture of a white clawed crayfish on a rock.

All living things, from bacteria to blue whales, have DNA in their cells. DNA provides the blueprint for life, directing how organisms grow, reproduce, and live. Since DNA gives a unique genetic code for every species on Earth, we can …

How EA has spent fishing licence income to support angling and fisheries 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment Agency, Fisheries and biodiversity

We have just published our Fisheries Annual Report for 2023 to 2024, which details how fishing licence income has been spent to improve fishing and fisheries throughout England.  Anyone 13 and over who fishes with a rod and line in …

How the EA uses its enforcement powers to hold water companies to account

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment Agency, Fisheries and biodiversity, Regulated industry, Water

Since 2015, we have successfully concluded 63 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies for pollution offences securing fines of over £151 million. The most recent of these include a £2 million fine for Severn Trent Water after allowing huge amounts …

Bedford Ouse Floating Pennywort Project

Floating pennywort before and after at Brampton

My name is Pippa Keynes and I work for the Environment Agency in East Anglia. Part of my job involves managing the Bedford Ouse Floating Pennywort project. This was launched by  Fisheries, biodiversity and geomorphology (FBG colleagues in 2017), and …