Riverfly Monitoring is our flagship citizen science project. Our volunteer monitors sample river bugs at agreed locations around the River Aire catchment to assess the effects of pollution on life in the river.
Riverfly populations are one of the key indicators of long-term river health problems, as the insects living in the river fall quickly if pollution is present and take a long time to recover after a pollution event.
We run locally-based training to develop new volunteers to achieve their Riverfly Monitoring Certificate. Our training is delivered across a series of taster evenings and a Riverfly qualification day. Normally focused on a specific tributary of the Aire. We typically ask new monitors to attend 2 taster evening before completing a qualification day. So they are comfortable with the survey process and happy in committing to the Riverfly sampling process.
Training normally takes place during the Summer months as a series of training programs that focus on specific areas of the Aire catchment at one time.
Our training is a mixture of hands-on and classroom learning, delivered to groups of enthusiasts like yourself.
For 2026 We have a full program or Riverfly training aimed at extending our sampling program across the River Aire. This will include the following focused training schemes:
May 2026 – River Worth
June 2026 – Bradford Beck
July 2026 – North Leeds Becks
August 2026 – Upper Aire (Malham – Skipton)
September 2026- South Craven
As these training programs are launched we will advertise the dates on our Citizen Science Eventbrite page, please keep checking in to see what is happening in your local area.
Our volunteers are trained to a standard agreed by The Riverfly Partnership, thus ensuring consistency and accuracy, and you will receive a Certificate of Competence demonstrating your achievement.
Have a read of our guide to becoming a Riverfly Monitor with the Aire Rivers Trust.
If you would like to know more, please get in touch with us at contact@AireRiversTrust.org.uk .
The video to the right features a monitor from Action for the River Kennet carrying out a kick sample. The Field Studies Council, who produce fold-out ID guides to support species identification, also have a kick sampling for beginners video. When you undertake training with one of our accredited tutors, you will cover both the theory and practical aspects of how to carry out Riverfly Monitoring effectively and safely.
