New get involved film for the Riverfly Partnership
17 June, 2025
The Riverfly Partnership network has been very busy this spring with almost 40 training sessions held across the length and breadth of the network.
New monitors have been trained all across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. New groups have been set up, some existing groups have upskilled to Urban and Extended Riverfly Monitoring, and surveys submitted have reached record highs.
Since the start of the year, the Riverfly Partnership had 3500 RMI, 99 URB and 214 EXT surveys submitted to the database. The team have started to collate case studies of how Riverfly data is being used impactfully across the network and are available to read on the Riverfly Partnership website.
Riverfly HQ are continuing to support all monitoring hubs and groups, facilitating training, producing guidance and training materials. They have also spent a bit of time putting together a handy explainer video for anyone considering taking up Riverfly Monitoring.
Want to get involved in Riverfly Monitoring but not sure what it entails?
The new Riverfly Partnership film explains why and how riverflies are monitored. 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.
What are riverflies and why are they important?
Riverflies are invertebrates that spend most of their life cycle in a river, stream, pond or lake. Three key groups of riverflies are mayflies, caddisflies and stoneflies.
In a healthy river, you would expect to find riverfly larvae all year round. They are very sensitive to changes in water quality, so if their numbers are low, it can indicate that there is a problem. They are seen as the ‘canaries of our rivers’. Being low down on the food chain, a drop in their numbers will go on to have a knock-on effect on the entire ecosystem. Monitoring riverfly populations can allow us to quickly identify issues such as pollution events.
“Riverflies are seen as the ‘canaries of our rivers’. Being low down on the food chain, a drop in their numbers will go on to have a knock-on effect on the entire ecosystem. Monitoring riverfly populations can allow us to quickly identify issues such as pollution events.”
Inspired to get involved with Riverfly Monitoring?
Photos of riverfly monitoring in action. Top left is a flat bodied mayfly (the chonky one who clings to rocks in fast flowing water). Top right is a stonefly (the most diva of the lot requiring the freshest, cleanest water). Bottom right is a damselfly (the one that eats the other things in the tray).
