The document summarizes the following: 1) Dr. Mike Dobson is stepping down as Director of the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) after 6 years and John Davy-Bowker has been appointed as the new Acting Director. 2) The FBA has launched an oral history project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to interview local people about their perceptions of changes to water bodies in the Lake District over the past 50-60 years. 3) The FBA is offering various training courses in the spring/summer on topics like freshwater invertebrate and fish identification.

1. Freshwater Matters
Editorial
This month’s editorial has been written by Dr Mike Dobson, Director of the
Freshwater Biological Association,
As you are probably aware, I will be stepping down as Director the FBA after six
years in the post. I will be finishing on 15th May, and I am pleased to announce
that FBA Council has appointed as Acting Director John Davy-Bowker, Facilities
and Research Manager at the River Laboratory in Dorset. John joined the FBA
in 2009 after many years at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and, before
that, at the Environment Agency. He brought to the FBA not only a recognised
expertise in developing biological monitoring tools for fresh waters, but also a
very practical hands-on approach to sorting out management of the FBA’s Dorset
estate: if you visit the site you will almost certainly see brickwork, lighting or
carpentry that was done by John himself. John has a passion for developing and
extending the niche that the FBA is carving in applied ecological research, an area
where there are still so many questions to be answered.
John will occupy this role while the FBA undergoes a full review of requirements
for the future. He will remain based at the River Laboratory, but will be making
frequent visits to Windermere, where he will be ably assisted by the newly
promoted Officer in Charge, Dr Karen Rouen, who will continue also to lead the
Knowledge Transfer activities of the FBA.
I am sure you will join me and the other FBA staff and Honorary Research Fellows
in wishing Karen and John well in their new roles.
What’s happening at the FBA?
Clear Waters Oral History Project
The FBA has recently embarked on a year-long oral history project funded by
the Heritage Lottery Fund called ‘Clear Waters – an oral history of people’s
understanding of fresh water’. Over the summer we will be interviewing former
staff and members of the FBA, local anglers and sport fishermen and local
people with an interest in wildlife and recreation. The aim is to discover people’s
perceptions of the changes in the water bodies of the Lake District during the last
50-60 years. We are seeking people to be interviewed and volunteers to conduct
interviews, do transcriptions, photography and archive research. The information
May 2013
Freshwater Matters is a monthly electronic bulletin of the most recent
freshwater news from around the world, compiled by the Freshwater Biological
Association (FBA). It includes updates of what is happening at the FBA and ways
to get involved.
Contents
Editorial
What’s happening at the FBA?
This month’s articles
Conservation Group Lists 10 Most Endangered US Rivers
Beavers use their noses to assess their foes
Cranes make first nest in 400 years... with help from their human ‘mum’
Measuring microbes makes wetland health monitoring more affordable, says
researcher
Researchers call for parasite to be monitored to protect UK freshwater fish
Philippine Freshwater Crocodiles
Pharmaceutical pollution wreaking havoc on aquatic wildlife in freshwater streams
Invasive Asian carp survive harsher conditions than expected: bad news for
freshwater rivers
Contractors fined after pearl mussel population destroyed on River Lyon
Managing freshwater wisely

2. gathered will be made available to the public, through a website and an exhibition
which will tour Cumbria and will be shown in museums and other public places.
For information on how to take part in the Clear Waters oral history project,
please contact Faith Hillier, Project Officer at fhillier@fba.org.uk or ring 015394
87720. Please also visit http://www.fba.org.uk/fba-oral-history-project.
FBA Training Courses 2013 Update
Just a reminder that the FBA have a range of training courses running this spring
and summer. These include:
• Entomology for anglers – Level 1 and Level 2
• Identifying aquatic beetles
• Identifying caddis
• NEW FOR 2013! Identifying chironomid larvae
• The Chironomid Pupal Exuvial Technique (CPET)
We also have a number of courses running in the autumn, and there is a discount
available for early bookings! These include: RIVPACS/RICT bioassessment
training; Freshwater fish: assessment of condition and ageing; Fish health,
parasites and disease; and Invertebrate identification for biotic assessment
(including examination).
FBA members receive generous discounts on course fees. For more information
and to book a place, please contact us at events@fba.org.uk or ring 015394
42468. For a full course programme and downloadable booking form, please visit
www.fba.org.uk.
This month’s articles
Conservation Group Lists 10 Most Endangered US Rivers
A list of the ten most endangered rivers in the USA has been released this month
by the environmental group American Rivers. This year the annual list names the
Colorado River as the most threatened due to over-abstraction. As a result the
river now dries up before it even reaches the ocean.
http://news.yahoo.com/conservation-group-lists-10-most-endangered-us-
rivers-175819918.html
Beavers use their noses to assess their foes
A study published this month in Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology shows
that beavers use their noses when deciding whether to take on an opponent
threatening their territory. The smell of secretions from the beavers anal gland
contains a wealth of information about age and status allowing other beavers to
gauge the best response.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/s-but040913.php
Cranes make first nest in 400 years... with help from their human ‘mum’
Cranes are nesting in southern England again for the first time since the English
Civil war in a success story for the Great Cranes Project. The project, set up four
years ago, aimed to re-introduce a bird that was wiped out due to a mixture of
hunting and the loss of habitat.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/389127/Cranes-make-first-nest-in-400-
years-with-help-from-their-human-mum
Measuring microbes makes wetland health monitoring more affordable,
says researcher
Conventional assessments of wetland health often focus on the larger species.
However, a study led by the University of Missouri has shown that monitoring the
microbial community is cheaper and faster than traditional assessments and could
lead to improvements in securing the provision of services such as water filtration.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130409132010.htm
Researchers call for parasite to be monitored to protect UK freshwater fish

3. In a paper published this month in Conservation Ecology and Environmental
Change, researchers from Bournemouth University are calling on the Environment
Agency to require checks for the presence of the parasite Sphaerothecum
destruens (also known as The Rosette Agent) when fish are moved between
locations. The parasite has a 90% mortality rate in infected freshwater fish and
could be economically disastrous for the angling industry.
http://wildlifenews.co.uk/2013/researchers-call-for-parasite-to-be-monitored-to-
protect-uk-freshwater-fish/
Philippine Freshwater Crocodiles
Thirty six Philippine freshwater crocodiles were reintroduced into the wild
this month in an effort to bolster the population of the critically endangered
species. With only 250 individuals left in the wild the species is one of the most
endangered reptiles.
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/29/philippine-freshwater-
crocodiles-freshwater-species-of-the-week/
Pharmaceutical pollution wreaking havoc on aquatic wildlife in
freshwater streams
Researchers have found that chemicals commonly released into the environment
including antibiotics and caffeine are exerting a profound effect on biofilms in
freshwater systems. As biofilms are a key food source for invertebrates the effects
could be drastically impacting the food web of rivers.
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/5960/20130402/pharmaceutical-
pollution-wreaking-havoc-aquatic-wildlife-freshwater-streams.htm
Invasive Asian carp survive harsher conditions than expected: bad news
for freshwater rivers
Research published this month in Freshwater Biology has shown that invasive
Asian Carp in North America may be able to live and breed in areas previously
thought unsuitable. Previous information on habitat was based on the species
native distribution; however the new findings suggest that the species may be
more adaptable than previously thought.
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/5836/20130327/invasive-asian-carp-
survive-harsher-conditions-expected-bad-news-freshwater.htm
Contractors fined after pearl mussel population destroyed on River Lyon
Two contractors that destroyed an internationally important population of
freshwater pearl mussels on the River Lyon in Scotland have been fined £11,000.
The damage to the river was so severe that it cost £1 million to make basic
repairs and it is thought that full recovery will not occur for hundreds of years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-21852938
Managing freshwater wisely
Biologists in Australia have developed a new approach to identifying major threats
to aquatic habitats in the drier parts of the country. Their approach, published
in Global Change Biology, classifies aquatic habitats as either evolutionary or
ecological refuges.
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20132604-24305.html
Please forward this bulletin to any of your colleagues who may be
interested!