Riverfly Monitoring for the Exe

Join me surveying riverflies to protect our beloved River Exe.

Riverflies are the basis of the food system that supports our fish species from minnows to Atlantic Salmon. Riverfly monitoring is an initiative spearheaded by the riverfly partnership to provide the data to support the science of river ecology. We survey the riverfly larvae species most sensitive to pollution to determine river health.

Where lower numbers breach trigger levels, monitoring groups report their results so early action can be taken by the relevant authorities.

What to bring:

Your curious self;
Something to sit or kneel on if you’re not comfortable crouching;
Sturdy footwear.

You won’t need to enter the river to take part. I recommend sturdy footwear (there is often broken glass). If you choose to enter the river, you do so at your own risk.

Collecting the sample only takes around 15 minutes (done by me, timed by you). The rest of the time will be cleaning the sample, identifying the 9 species we monitor, then separating and counting them before putting them back - you’ll likely be amazed by the incredible diversity of riverfly larvae, and gain more appreciation for them and the species that depend on them, including Daubenton’s bats!