Riverflies: The Canary of Our Rivers

Posted byKeiron Derek BrownPosted inBiological recording, Blog, entoLIVE Blog

Riverflies, along with other freshwater invertebrates, are at the heart of the freshwater ecosystem and are a vital link in the aquatic food chain. Their common characteristics of limited mobility, relatively long life cycle, presence throughout the year and specific tolerances to changes in environmental conditions make them good biotic indicators of water quality and useful indicators of change.

The Riverfly Partnership has developed the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative to enable citizen scientists to assess and monitor the health of rivers in their communities. Anglers, conservationists, and concerned community groups can act as guardians of the river by using the standardized monitoring technique developed by the Riverfly Partnership, in effect becoming an early warning system detecting disturbances in river water quality and raising the alarm, so that relevant statutory bodies can investigate further. Data collected by monitors is freely available to all and has been used to successfully prosecute polluters, showing the power of citizen science.

The Freshwater Biological Association provides an overview of the methodology, sharing the progress of the project and what’s in store for the future. Case studies are discussed that highlight the amazing work of the volunteer monitors and how you can get involved.

Q&A with Trine Bregstein

Trine Bregstein joined the Freshwater Biological Association in March 2022 as a citizen science coordinator. She has an interest in engaging people with conservation initiatives, helping them to foster a connection with nature and their local environment. The Riverfly Partnership is hosted by the Freshwater Biological Association.

  • Do cased caddisflies create a new case after every moult?
    I believe that cased-caddis flies add to their cases as they grow – repairing and upgrading the case as they go.
  • Is there any guidance available for obtaining permission to monitor a site from the landowner?
    We don’t have a guidance document for this – but it would be a really useful thing to have. With rivers, it can be tricky to figure out who the landowner is and not all landowners are keen to grant permission on their site. we’re always happy to give advice on how to sweet-talk landowners. You can find out more information about getting involved with the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative here.
  • How long did it take the River Kennet to recover from the pollution incident?
    It did take quite some time. The RMI detects the change in the macro-invertebrate community and this will have knock-on effects later on. In the River Kennet the Environment Agency monitored the situation and conducted electro-fishing (a sampling method to enable them to capture and assess the state of fish populations) at a later date. The Thompson et al. (2015) paper gives a lot more detail and is worth having a read for more information on this case study.
  • Can pollution fines be used to fund training and equipment in river monitoring?
    Last year the government stated that money from fines will be ring-fenced for work to improve water quality, such as initiatives to restore our water environments by creating wetlands, re-vegetating river banks and reconnecting meanders to the main channel of rivers. I don’t know specifically what it has been used to fund or how it is allocated. On our Get Involved page, there is guidance on fundraising for local groups that want to get set up and links to directories that can help you find funding.
  • If you find non-native animals, like Chinese Mitten Crab, when sampling should you return them to the water course?
    For non-native species, we would always advise checking out the Invasive Non-Native Species guidance online and ensuring you understand the legislation relevant to the UK country that you are surveying within. In England and Wales (at the time of writing on 18/09/23), if you accidentally catch a listed invasive alien animal during ringing or monitoring operations of other animals, you will not have committed an offence if you immediately release it (or you can also take it to a facility with a licence or permit). If you find a non-widely spread animal on your land or in the wild, you must report it to the non-native species secretariat. As the Chinese Mitten Crab is listed as a widely spread animal, you do not have to take any action but it is still useful to record your sighting through the Non-native Species iRecord Form.

Literature references

Further info

entoLIVE

entoLIVE webinars feature guest invertebrate researchers delving into their own invertebrate research. All events are free to attend and are suitable for adults of all abilities – a passion for invertebrates is all that’s required!

entoLIVE is only possible due to contributions from our partners and supporters.

More on freshwater biology

Check out the Freshwater Invertebrates collection on Eventbrite

Published by Keiron Derek Brown

A blog about biological recording in the UK from the scheme organiser for the National Earthworm Recording Scheme.

One thought on “Riverflies: The Canary of Our Rivers”

  1. Pingback: Guardians of our Rivers: Monitoring Rivers with Freshwater Invertebrates – Biological Recording

Leave a comment