News

We reported on the pesticides from pet flea treatments being found in our rivers back in 2020 and again in 2023.

Now more research by the University of Sussex and Imperial College London shows that pet owners using 'spot on' flea treatments risk contaminating their hands with fipronil and imidacloprid, two insecticides, for at least 28 days after the treatment has been applied. Hand washing by pet owners, as well as washing the pets and their bedding, results in pesticides getting into the sewage system.

These pesticides are present in English rivers in concentrations that exceed accepted safe limits for wildlife. This is despite the fact that these chemicals are deemed to be too toxic to be used in agriculture.

Richard Slocock, a founding father and great friend of WTT, has died, following a short illness. 

Richard managed fisheries in Dorset for over 40 years, joining forces with Charles Rangeley-Wilson in the mid-nineties to conceive WTT, then driving the Trust for many years, including as Chairman. 

All at WTT mourn Richard’s loss and send condolences to Sally and family. A full obituary for Richard will be published in WTT’s 2024 annual journal, Salmo Trutta, out to members in May.

As a special treat at our Zoom Christmas Get-Together and Raffle in December 2023, WTT members were honoured with a talk from Prof Ken Whelan on his many encounters with brown trout across the globe, sometimes in the most unexpected places.

Leading on from Jon Beer’s outstanding talk in December 2022, Ken demonstrated the amazing adaptability of the brown trout, which he described as the 'fish with a thousand coats'.

It’s a terrific talk; watch it HERE on WTT's YouTube channel.

Following the wettest July-December period since records began, it is not surprising that so many of our rivers are in flood.

Inevitably, there are some calls for more dredging of rivers.

Alastair Chisholm of the Chartered Institution of Water Engineering and Management (CIWEM) has tweeted this useful thread which summarises the pros and cons of dredging. 

The recent and current floods are concerning for all those affected. Having your house or business flooded is an utterly miserable experience, and farmers staring at flooded fields wondering when they will be able to sow or harvest a crop must be close to despair.

So perhaps the fate of trout in floods will not be at the forefront of everyone’s mind, but it is a question that we get asked a lot. Along with the effect of drought on trout, of course!

WTT Conservation Officer Professor Jonathan Grey looked at the science and wrote this fascinating article for our journal, Salmo Trutta, this time last year.

Our Autumn 2023 Newsletter landed on WTT members’ doorsteps in November, and it’s now available to download too.

This bumper edition contains lots of news and views from our Conservation Officers across the British Isles, including:

Atlantic salmon populations are now 'near threatened' say IUCN

Huge thanks to everyone who took part in our Christmas Raffle yesterday evening – we spectacularly achieved our mission to raise £10,000+ so that we can get even more projects off the ground and support our team of Conservation Officers and volunteers.

Thanks to everyone’s kindness, we were able to raise an amazing total of £10,294.

Here’s a list of all our generous donors and winners:

October to the end of January is spawning time for trout and salmon. It's been quite mild for most of the UK, but the current cold weather might prompt more spawning. 

This blog by WTT Conservation Officer Gareth Pedley explains what to look for to spot spawning fish and redds (nests) in the river. 

Check out our web pages on the brown trout lifecycle and the sea trout lifecycle.