River Itchen, Hampshire
2024, Portsmouth Services Fly Fishing Association
During a regular site visit to carry out Riverfly monitoring for the Portsmouth Services Fly Fishing Association, a volunteer discovered heavy silt-loading entering the River Itchen via a side channel.
The site had been identified as important for salmon spawning as part of the Itchen Salmon Delivery Plan, which is an Environment Agency-led initiative. The objective of the plan is to halt the decline of salmon populations in the Itchen.
A farm was identified as the source of the pollution by the RMI volunteer, who reported it to the Incident Hotline. An officer from the EA’s Land and Water team carried out an investigation and met with the farmer.
Short-term measures were agreed, and going forward the field was to be put into grass and clover for a minimum of 3 years.
Using intelligence provided by the RMI volunteer, prompt and targeted action from the EA enabled this issue to be dealt with. Without the volunteer having a regular presence on the riverbank, this issue would have gone on unresolved for a long time, with severe implications for the endangered Itchen salmon and other fauna and flora that rely on good water quality for their survival.