World Rivers Day - Sunday 22nd September 2024

River advocate and World Rivers Day Founder, Mark Angelo said; “Rivers are the arteries of our planet; they are lifelines in the truest sense”, and nothing could be more accurate.

World Rivers Day is an annual celebration of the world’s waterways, taking place on the last Sunday in September.

Why do we celebrate World Rivers Day?

World Rivers Day acts to remind us of how important our waterways are, a day to celebrate and appreciate them, to encourage people to enjoy them but also to preserve and protect them. It is a day to reflect on how we can look after them and maintain them better. World Rivers Day highlights the value of our rivers and works to increase greater public awareness of them to ensure they can still thrive in the future.  

The first World Rivers Day was held in 2005 and since then the celebration has grown in both numbers and popularity. Today millions of people in up to 100 countries worldwide participate in it.

Anyone who spends time by the water has a duty of care to it and often anglers are the first to spot any potential problems on our waterways. These problems can range from anything from pollution to issues* with species living in and around them, which is why we at Sportfish encourage anglers to take to the water on this day, and as often as you can.

*Should you spot any potential problems on our waterways, please contact the Environment Agency.

Here at Sportfish, we believe that we are responsible for achieving the highest standards of environmental practice and for operating in a sustainable manner. Following on from Planet Mark Business Certification in 2022 for The Farlows Group Ltd (which owns both the Farlows & Sportfish brands), we’re proud to announce that in our first year we have reduced our carbon footprint by 7.6% and have been certified for another year. Planet Mark is an internationally recognised sustainability certification for business which acknowledges continuous progress and encourages action towards sustainability. We remain committed to cut this by at least 5% every year, to help reduce our impact on the planet and society, striving for net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

We are largely dependent on the external natural environment for our continuing success, and we understand that we have a duty of care for it and for safeguarding its wellbeing for future generations.

English Chalkstreams

England has 85% of the world’s chalk streams and the importance of these is vast. Chalk streams are among the most biodiverse of the UK’s rivers and, in turn, they are one of the most important contributors to our global ecosystems. They are a valuable habitat for various species of fish, animals and invertebrates both in the water and on the banks that surround them. Sadly, river pollution is one of the greatest contributors to the reduction of these species in our waterways.

Simon Tilbury, Group Head of Marketing for Sportfish and Farlows, grew up very near the River Kennet and is passionate about protecting our rivers, especially chalkstreams. In his article, he outlines why chalkstreams are so important, how they are under threat and what we can do about it.

As part of our responsibilities for achieving and maintaining the highest standards of environmental practice and sustainability, we are proud to support a number of selected charities to help the conservation of our fish and rivers and to encourage new audiences into the sport we love.

Charities we support include the Wild Trout Trust, Atlantic Salmon Trust and the Angling Trust:

• The Wild Trout Trust (WTT) is a conservation charity working across the UK and Ireland to help anyone interested in making a better world for our rivers, lakes and their wildlife, including wild trout. Flourishing wild trout populations are a sign of the health of our waterways and the land around them. WTT experts work with landowners, local communities, fishing clubs, rivers trusts and government agencies providing practical advice and hands-on habitat improvement projects. Their team spends over 1000 days a year on or in rivers, using that experience to highlight issues like pollution and abstraction directly with governments and regulators and to support partners in their lobbying and campaigning.
• The Atlantic Salmon Trust exists solely for the protection of wild salmon and sea trout. Their aim is to create a positive future for these at-risk species; using scientific research to understand their decline and using the generous donations from their supporters to put evidence-based solutions into practice. The wild salmon population is in drastic decline. In the mid-1980s, there were between 8 and 10 million salmon leaping around the Atlantic. That number has now plummeted to between 2 and 3 million, revealing a dramatic population free-fall that shows no signs of levelling out. So much so, that the wild Atlantic salmon could become an endangered species in 10 years’ time, disappearing from our seas and rivers altogether in just 20 or 30 years. This is a warning we simply cannot ignore.
• The Angling Trust is a not-for-profit organisation, representing anglers, fighting for fish, fishing and the environment. They are recognised by the Government as the National Governing Body for angling in England and partner with Visit Wales and NRW to promote fishing in Wales. They are a member-based organisation made up of anglers of all disciplines providing a united front to represent, grow and protect the sport. Funds raised not only help protect the waterways we fish in and the fish which live within them but they are also invested in participation initiatives to introduce more people to fishing. It is staggering that only 14% of English rivers currently achieve Good Ecological Status. The Angling Trust’s ‘Anglers Against Pollution’ campaign seeks to give anglers a voice in the fight for a better future for our environment by holding the Government to account for its promises, actions and responsibilities.

• Action for the River Kennet (ARK) is the rivers trust for the Kennet and Pang catchments, dedicated to protecting and improving their health. The river Kennet flows very close to our Sportfish store in Theale, which is one of the reasons we have chosen to support them. They carry out practical conservation projects from small to large scale, and campaign to protect the rivers and raise awareness, working closely with communities, landowners and stakeholders.

• The Wye & Usk Foundation (WUF) is a rivers trust that improves the ecology, habitat and water quality of the rivers Wye and Usk. The river Wye flows very close to our Sportfish store in Winforton, which is one of the reasons we have chosen to support them. They are the largest rivers’ trust in England and Wales in terms of output and a leader in their field, developing new techniques and delivering improvements for the aquatic environment.

How to celebrate

There are many ways we can all get involved with World Rivers Day. Find a local event, set up your own, spend time on or by the water or, better still, why not just go fishing! Take a friend fishing and introduce them into the sport we all love! We all know the many benefits of spending time on the bank or in the river.

No matter how you choose to spend World Rivers Day, we hope you enjoy it as much as we will.

If you have celebrated in any way, or setup your own event, please let us know via the comments section below!