Results from the most spatially detailed water quality dataset for Windermere have been published today by scientists from the FBA and Lancaster University, in response to community concerns and gaps in traditional water quality monitoring. The Big Windermere Survey report, covering the period June 2022 to November 2024, demands action to address ‘Poor’ water quality results.

A tiny insect last recorded in Britain in 1945, has been rediscovered from the River Brathay near Skelwith, Ambleside by amateur Entomologist, Andrew Dixon. The invertebrate found is known as a ‘micro’-caddisfly (family Hydroptilidae) measuring a mere 2 to 3mm. The species name is Ithytrichia clavata and was first added to the British list from specimens collected at Llanbedr (Merionethshire) by the Grensteds in 1939.

Here we join Amritha Nair for her reflections on the FBA's Early Career Member Network (ECMN) event at Nottingham Trent University in June. The ECMN event took place on Thursday 26 June, the day after the Annual Scientific Meeting, with the wish to improve the support FBA gives to early career researchers and practitioners.

FBA Executive Director, Simon Johnson, shares his thoughts on last month’s Annual Scientific Meeting. We received a fantastic response and huge thanks to all who attended! It was great to meet old friends and make new connections and the energy in the room over our pre-meeting coffee was a joy to witness! What followed was a day of scientific knowledge exchange on many of the key issues and scientific research affecting freshwaters.

The last couple of months has been a busy period of archival investigation to support the Lake District Charr Recovery and Management (LD-CHARM) project. Activity has included diving into the FBA's extensive archive and a visit to the Natural History Museum. Here we join FBA’s Emma Kelly for a Q&A to discover more about these explorations for historical information relating to Arctic charr.

Want to get involved in Riverfly Monitoring but not sure what it entails? The Riverfly Partnership have a new film explaining why and how we monitor riverflies. Learn about its applications in spotting pollution, deterring polluters, measuring the impact of restoration works, contributing to long-term data sets, and increasing awareness and education around our waterways.

Registration now open!

Funded by NERC, the Freshwater Biological Association, Bournemouth University, Natural England and AECOM, we are offering a free field workshop on Freshwater Taxonomy and Field Identification Skills: macroinvertebrates, protists, meiofauna and eDNA.

We are delighted to announce that the Lake District Arctic Charr Recovery and Management project has been awarded Natural England Species Recovery Programme funding to support vital research to help save Arctic charr populations in England from extinction.

We are pleased to share, as a matter of urgency, a statement of support for a swift and adequate update of the EU water pollution standards under the Environmental Quality Standards Directive, also amending the Water Framework Directive and the Groundwater Directive. The statement has been signed by 465 scientists around the world, concerned about freshwaters health, and supporting a call for immediate action for freshwater ecosystems.

Today, we are delighted to share in full the State of Windermere in 2024 report and the Windermere Integrated Science Plan (WISP), authored by Dr. Lynsey R. Harper, funded by the Environment Agency and produced by the Freshwater Biological Association.

We are delighted to announce that our first official in-person ECMN event will be on 26 June at Nottingham Trent University. Taking place the day after our Annual Scientific Meeting, this is an opportunity for early career researchers and practitioners to attend both gatherings, to enable networking and establish mentoring partnerships that offer members of the ECMN career support.

We are delighted to share the agenda for the FBA Annual Scientific Meeting at Nottingham Trent University on Wednesday 25 June 2025. This conference-style event will be a showcase for an array of speakers from a diversity of backgrounds in freshwater science including early career researchers and senior academics.

Calling all freshwater scientists, researchers and academics. Following the EEA’s ‘Europe's state of water 2024' report, European institutions are now in the process of updating the priority pollutants to be regulated under EU water law and we invite you to sign this statement in support of maintained ambition in the upcoming negotiations between the EU institutions on the final text.

We are excited to announce the restoration of the FBA Annual Scientific Meeting. This conference-style event will showcase the research and practice of FBA members including staff, early career scientists and fellows. It will be in person only at Nottingham Trent University on Wednesday 25 June 2025.

The past 12 months has seen an inspiring evolution in the Riverfly Partnership, with growth in their full-time team and a transition over to an upgraded database with extended capacity to provide more refined recording and analysis.

The Limnological Society in Türkiye and the European Federation for Freshwater Sciences are pleased to announce that the 14th Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences (SEFS14) will be held in Bolu, Türkiye, 21-25 July, 2025.