A few months ago, we proudly launched Lab Dwr, our citizen science initiative aimed at enhancing the understanding of freshwater ecosystems across North Wales. Since then, we’ve made significant progress in monitoring the health of our rivers, using a range of scientific tests to assess water quality and build a better picture of the health of our river systems.

The North Wales Rivers Trust have been busy creating 'Swimways' snorkel trails. As part of their ongoing efforts to promote the connectivity of freshwater and marine ecosystems, these snorkel trails will offer a unique, immersive experience to the public, allowing them to explore the hidden underwater world of rivers, lakes, and coastal areas. This initiative is a celebration of nature’s intricate water systems.

At North Wales Rivers Trust, we're passionate about restoring our rivers and ensuring the health of aquatic ecosystems. One of the challenges that our waterways face is the presence of man-made obstacles, such as weirs and dams, which severely hinder the movement of fish, cutting off vital migration routes and impacting the overall health of our rivers.

We've been hard at work developing snorkel trails across both Gwynedd and Ynys Môn, with several snorkel events taking place to upskill our community volunteers and scope out all the best spots.

This month, the Menai Strait Partnership team spread the message of our #LoveTheMenai campaign through the participation in several community events to raise awareness about the importance of the Menai Strait and the need to protect it.

In collaboration with artist Sean Harris the North Wales Rivers Trust are showcasing a unique art installation at a secret location near Llyn Padarn. This artwork, inspired by the iconic Eryri Torgoch, will demonstrate the need to improve habitat to help protect emblematic species like the Torgoch in a captivating and memorable way.

Weir notching is an essential river restoration technique used to improve fish migration across North Wales. Weirs, built long ago for industry or water management, block fish like salmon, sea trout, and eels from reaching important upstream habitats needed for spawning and feeding. By cutting a notch in these weirs, we restore natural river flow, allowing fish to pass through and access critical areas for their life cycle (Larinier & Marmulla, 2004).

As part of our Freshwater Pearl Mussel project we held a community wildlife day at our Afon Eden site in Bronaber. This was a fantastic day where our volunteers helped gather valuable data on invertebrates, water quality and peat health.

Earlier this week we hosted our second community snorkel survey at Llyn Padarn. There was a great turn out with lots of volunteers keen to improve their snorkel skills and help trial the study into the perch population at Llyn Padarn.

The North Wales Rivers Trust has been actively restoring riparian habitat at the Afon Eden site through native deciduous tree planting and the creation of invertebrate habitat by fencing out livestock. These efforts are vital for establishing a healthy ecosystem within the 10-meter riparian zone, providing essential food sources for both local wildlife and aquatic life in the river.

We are excited to announce that the North Wales Rivers Trust is setting up four new River Hubs across our catchment. This initiative is part of a broader effort to monitor and protect our precious river ecosystems. With your help, we aim to gather crucial data on the health of our rivers and take actionable steps to safeguard the wildlife that depends on them.

Last weekend we trained up our first cohort of volunteers as BSAC Snorkel Divers. 6 volunteers joined us on Harlech beach to learn the foundations of snorkeling.

The BSAC Snorkel Diver is a one day course, that provides an excellent starting point for progressing into snorkel surveying. All our volunteers passed and are now moving onto complete their Snorkel Surveying qualification so they can help with our Freshwater Snorkel Surveys.

Electrofishing is an important technique used by North Wales Rivers Trust to assess fish populations. This technique, which involves using electric currents to temporarily stun fish, allows NWRT to gather valuable data on fish species, numbers, and overall river health. In this blog post, we will explore why electrofishing is conducted, its safety measures for wildlife, and why it remains the current standard for fish population assessment (Dodds & Whiles, 2020).

We’re thrilled to announce the formation of a Core Group dedicated to monitoring the living seawalls—a key initiative in our ongoing conservation efforts. This diverse group includes passionate volunteers from the university, members of the Friends of Garth Pier, and other local environmental enthusiasts, all united by their commitment to safeguarding our marine habitats.

The team had a fantastic weekend at the Menai Food Festival, where they raised awareness for the Menai Straits Partnership Forum and promoted the #LoveTheMenai campaign. An initiative running for the whole month of August!

North Wales Rivers Trust are now a registered BSAC snorkel club! Email laura@northwalesriverstrust.org to find out how you can get involved.

This month our River Ambassadors have been out and about in their communities, organising events and taking water samples for our Lab Dwr citizen science project. We want to say a big thanks to all our River Ambassadors and share with you a small snippet of what they’ve been up to!

This August we’re raising awareness about all the ways individuals and businesses could be accidentally contributing to pollution.

Since the successful installation of our first Floating Wetland into Llyn Maelog, the community have hit the ground running by forming a monitoring group and getting together to complete a litter clean up.

Perch are a potential threat to Arctic charr and other

salmonids as they predate on juveniles and compete

for food.