2025: A year of fighting for fish, fishing, and the future of our waters

Rivers, lakes, and seas are under pressure like never before yet 2025 has shown something powerful: when anglers, scientists, and communities come together, real change can happen. The Angling Trust’s 2025 Campaign Impact Report highlights how citizen science, practical conservation, and determined advocacy are reshaping the future of our aquatic environment.

One of the most inspiring successes has been the growth of our angler led Water Quality Monitoring Network (WQMN). More than 800 volunteers now monitor 80 catchments across all four nations, collecting over 10,000 samples. Their findings paint a stark picture—34% of samples failed phosphate standards, 45% failed for nitrates, and during the hot, dry spring, nitrate pollution exceeded recommended levels in more than half of all tests. Ammonia levels have doubled since 2023. These are uncomfortable truths, but they are essential ones, and without anglers gathering this data, they would remain hidden.

This year also marked a major step forward as the WQMN expanded into estuaries. A pilot on the Ribble estuary gathered 180 samples. That work is now being replicated across seven more estuaries, helping us understand and protect these vital ecosystems.

Innovation has been another theme in 2025. Working with the Freshwater Biological Association, we launched “Lakefly”, a new pilot that uses invertebrates to assess the biological health of still waters. Combined with water quality chemical testing, this will give us a richer, more accurate picture of lake health as the project expands in 2026.

Meanwhile, our partnerships with universities and research bodies strengthened the role of recreational sea anglers in science—from bass and black bream studies to our Pollack Pact initiative, which supported skippers with 85 descending devices to reduce fish mortality.

Alongside this practical work, our advocacy has been relentless. We submitted detailed evidence to the Independent Water Commission, shaped fisheries management plans, pushed for stronger action on invasive species, defended chalk streams from damaging development, and—through the Missing Salmon Alliance—pressed for better protection for salmon across their range.

None of this would be possible without the anglers, volunteers, and supporters who stand with us. Together, we are building a future where healthy waters, thriving fish populations, and sustainable angling are not aspirations—they are realities.

Read the Campaigns & Environment Impact Report below – you can also down a PDF version and share on social media: