Angler’s fight for cleaner waters sparks ‘End Poolution’ T-shirts campaign

For over 60 years, angler Stephen Newton has fished Britain’s rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. But for the past 25 years, he’s made one significant change to his practice – he no longer takes fish home for the table.

The reason? Pollution.

“I am not keen to eat creatures that have lived in what amounts to dilute excreta with an overlay of toxic chemicals,” said Stephen, who began fishing as a boy to help feed his family. “Money was tight, so I began fishing aged 7, trying to catch flatfish in the local estuary.  I started fly fishing for trout at the age of 11.  If I could catch a couple of trout during a day out, my mother would cook them that evening.

“Now, over sixty years on, I do not take fish for the table because I am concerned by the levels of pollution in our waters.”

Inspired by the Angling Trust’s Anglers Against Pollution campaign, Stephen decided to take his own stand against polluters by launching an ‘End Poolution’ campaign – centred around a line of T-shirts bearing the pun-laden slogan.

The aim is to raise awareness among anglers and the public while contributing to meaningful change – profits from sales, up to a maximum of £5,000, will be donated to the Angling Trust in support of the Anglers Against Pollution campaign.

Stephen’s commitment is just another example of how anglers are supporting the fight for cleaner, healthy waters – our Water Quality Monitoring Network has attracted over 500 volunteers testing for phosphates and nitrates in rivers and estuaries all over England and using their findings to lobby for change.

“The T-shirts are a way in which I and other anglers can show that we feel this issue is important, and that it must be resolved,” said Stephen, an Angling Trust member. “What is urgently needed is a national strategy combined with a clear and realistic implementation plan that is fully funded.”

Stephen supports the Angling Trust’s call for renewed investment in water infrastructure and highlights the fact that no major new reservoir has been built in England since 1992. Recently, the Government announced it was speeding up the building of two new reservoirs, but with the first not being completed until 2036 and with the UK’s population projected to reach 70 million in 2025, existing systems will continue to be overstretched and outdated.

Through the End Poolution and Anglers Against Pollution campaigns, Stephen hopes other anglers will be inspired to make their voices heard and demand healthier waterways for future generations.

How you can support the fight against pollution:

1. Purchase ‘End Poolution’ T-shirts and show you care
2. Get your club involved in our Water Quality Monitoring Network
3. Play The Anglers Lottery to help protect, promote and develop angling
4. Become a member of the Angling Trust and support our work

A selection of the End Poolution T-shirt designs