On the 13th June 2023 the UK River Summit took place on the banks of the River Test. The event brought together some of the country’s most influential environmental speakers and experts to talk about the state of rivers in the UK, and the action needed to improve their environmental and ecological condition.
The panel of speakers included:
- Mike Blackmore, Wessex Rivers Trust
- Jamie Cook, CEO of Angling Trust
- Gail Davies-Walsh, Afonydd Cymru
- Penny Gane, Head of Practice at Fish Legal
- Nick Measham, CEO of Wildfish
- Jim Murray, Actor and Founder of Activist Anglers
- Dylan Roberts, Head of Fisheries at Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
- Claire Zambuni, Founder of Zambuni Communications and The UK River Summit
The panel discussed various topics including water scarcity, agricultural and sewage pollution, the environmental impacts of industrial practices in the countryside, and the current state of fish stocks.
Dylan focused particularly on salmon and sea trout drawing on scientific information that has been gathered by the GWCT at the Salmon and Trout Research Centre on the River Frome and by the EU SAMARCH project led by the GWCT. The data collected on the River Frome, which is a UK Index River for Atlantic salmon, is used to inform national and international models on salmon survival and management.
Dylan said: “It was a pleasure to speak at the UK rivers summit to highlight the plight of and the current state of knowledge on the reasons behind the decline of our wild Atlantic salmon. It was also a wonderful opportunity to hear about the work of the leading NGOs who are working tirelessly to protect our rivers and also the challenges they face in influencing government policy in England and Wales. The key take home message for me is that the steady erosion of resources for the governments environmental regulators means that they are now powerless to do their work effectively, there are enough rules and regulations in place, they simply are not enforced. Successive governments have prioritised cheap food and water over the environment resulting in a biodiversity crisis. Until the government gets serious about protecting our environment with proper enforcement the crises will continue!”
Claire Zambuni, Founder of The UK Rivers Summit, aim for the event was “to gather river people from all different walks of life and professions, enabling conversations and finding solutions. With so much anger and outrage in the media surrounding our waterways, we hope this event will not only facilitate lively debate but also collaborative discussion across different stakeholders."
Coverage of the UK Rivers Summit in the Press:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/82b8a910-0a0c-11ee-947c-69265173b330?shareToken=ec8da8780bd95111738b72fd1d0a7f46
https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/23586701.crown-actor-jim-murray-speaks-river-summit/