Home - Fish Legal

We use the law to fight polluters and others who damage or threaten the water environment on behalf of anglers 

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We fight for transparency in the water and sewage industry

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We challenge Government and regulators when they fail to protect fisheries

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We secure compensation for our members to help restore polluted waters

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We are a not-for-profit membership association and together we make polluters pay

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Water Protection Zones

In 2015, Fish Legal, Angling Trust and WWF launched a judicial review challenge against Defra and th…

Adams Pond cyanide pollution

Fish Legal is representing the National Coal Board 5 Area Fishing Club following a spill of cya…

Elms fishery light pollution

Fish Legal is advising the Elms Angling Club whose night fishing has been disrupted by floodlighting…

Turf Pool sewage pollution

Fish Legal are advising the Blackfords Progressive Angling Society following the pollution of their…

16 July 2020

Swansea Valley’s ongoing sewage scandal

Members of two Welsh angling clubs were dismayed to find yet another episode of raw sewage spilling…

24 July 2020

Scottish Government taken to court over prawn trawling

Fish Legal was in court on Tuesday challenging a decision by the Scottish Government to refuse to sa…

30 June 2020

Natural Resources Wales told to take action over River Wye pollution

Fish Legal has put the environmental regulator in Wales on notice that phosphate inputs into the Riv…

Water Protection Zones

In 2015, Fish Legal, Angling Trust and WWF launched a judicial review challenge against Defra and th…

Adams Pond cyanide pollution

Fish Legal is representing the National Coal Board 5 Area Fishing Club following a spill of cya…

Elms fishery light pollution

Fish Legal is advising the Elms Angling Club whose night fishing has been disrupted by floodlighting…

Turf Pool sewage pollution

Fish Legal are advising the Blackfords Progressive Angling Society following the pollution of their…

Crompton Lake

Fish Legal is advising the Bury and District Angling Club after Cromptons Lodge (lake) suffered an e…

Duchy Pond

Fish Legal is instructed by the Over Hulton Angling Club in connection with the pollution of the Duc…

Clyde inshore fishery

Fish Legal met Stuart McMillan MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde in March to highlight the continuing…

‘Legal’ sewage pollution of River Tawe

Pressure is mounting on Natural Resources Wales and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water to stop raw sewage dischar…

Landmark wins against polluters

Fish Legal has successfully fought everyone from rogue farmers to multinational corporations on behalf of its members while in many cases the government and statutory bodies have done little or nothing. We win pollution cases against companies large and small, allowing compensation to be put where it is most needed – to the angling clubs and fishery owners affected, so that they can restore their waters. We have only been able to do this thanks to the loyal support of our members.

Case Studies

How Fish Legal helps you

Fish Legal was set up by an enlightened angler who knew that anglers’ private rights and the civil law could be used to take direct action against polluters.

Fish Legal is a unique, membership association and everything its lawyers do is funded collectively by members’ subscriptions, donations and legacies. Funds are effectively pooled so that no member has to foot the costs of taking action.

Find out more

Individual Fish Legal and the Angling Trust Supporter

Joint Membership

The more members we have the more we can fight polluters. Join us today.

Riparian or Fishery Owner - Fish Legal and Angling Trust

Joint Membership

Fish Legal can take legal action on your behalf against environmental damage or threats, meeting the cost and passing on 100% of any compensation won so that it can go back into restoring your waters. Fish Legal membership also gives you access to expert legal advice and guidance on angling and fishery related matters.

Club or Syndicate, England - Fish Legal and Angling Trust

Joint Membership

Club - Fish Legal Only

Membership

Charterboat - Angling Trust and Fish Legal

Joint Membership

Fish Legal provide specialist legal advice to charterboat owners. If there are environmental issues affecting where you fish you can contact the Fish Legal team for advice on what can be done about it .The Angling Trust is committed to representing the interests of charter boat angling and making sure that the sector can grow in the future. Through our marine regions and national Conservation and Access group we campaign for better fish stocks and continued access to these stocks to ensure charter boats remain at the heart of UK sea angling.

Syndicate - Fish Legal Only

Membership

Fish Legal can also take legal action on your behalf against environmental damage or threats to your syndicate, meeting the cost and passing on 100% of any compensation won. It is excellent value for money as annual membership is much less than the cost of a few hours of these legal services elsewhere.

Scotland

District Salmon Fishery Boards

With a dedicated Solicitor in Scotland, Fish Legal membership gives boards access to expert legal advice and guidance on their duties to protect and enhance of salmon and sea trout fisheries.

Fish Legal Life Member

Membership

For £400 you can become a member for life and know what you have become part of the fight against pollution and protection of the places you love to fish. Join us today.

What our members say

Alison Davis

Parkwood Trout Fishery

“I cannot praise the work of Fish Legal enough. Over the past 4 years, their legal expertise and support has been key to helping me to successfully defend our fishery from several sources of pollution into the chalk stream that is the lifeblood of our trout fishery. These include treated foul sewage systems from proposed local developments and a neighbouring large business and SUDS systems from 2 large housing developments bordering our fishery. A total of 4 damaging cases stopped to date. But the threats continue as our local water company are now planning to abstract water from the small chalk stream that feeds our fishery.”

David Curtis, Director

Save Our Sea Bass B.A.S.S. Restoration Officer

“Fish Legal are helping the Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society and Save Our Sea Bass, hold UK regional sea fishery managers to account on a wide range of issues including: non-enforcement of byelaws, freedom of information requests, byelaws introduced without proper consultation, wrasse being taken for Scottish salmon farms and protection of juvenile bass from netting. Our experience is that the UK regional sea fishery managers don’t listen to sea anglers until they are threatened with legal action and so Fish Legal’s support is invaluable. Fish Legal are passionate about protecting sea angling and our marine environment and have an excellent track record in winning cases."

Len Powell

Afan Valley Angling Club

"The Afan Valley Angling Club was established in 1951. Fish Legal has represented the Afan Valley Angling Club on many occasions over the years. Their expertise and advice have been invaluable in opposing local authority planning decisions, run of river hydropower, unconventional gas extraction and mine water pollution, all of which threaten or damage fisheries. In all these matters Fish Legal has always acted in a highly professional manner and provided the club with support and sound advice. Over the last 5 years Fish Legal have been advising the club and their colleague club Pontardawe and Swansea Angling Society (PASAS) in opposing the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon because of the threat to migratory fish species. The proposed lagoon project including the determination of the Marine Licence is complex and detailed and Fish Legal have given us their full support."

Working with the Angling Trust

Fish Legal is a not-for-profit membership association which promotes and encourages the conservation and sustainable management of UK rivers, stillwaters and coastal waters and the role of angling within this. We use the law to fight pollution and other damage and threats to the water environment on behalf of anglers, consistent with these objectives. 

We are united in a collaborative relationship with the Angling Trust, a representative body for anglers and angling in England and Wales. The Angling Trust is the only organisation that campaigns and lobbies for all anglers on issues affecting salt and freshwater and the fish and angling activities of each of these environments. They are recognised by Sport England as the National Governing Body for angling and work in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and Visit Wales to deliver the Fishing in Wales programme.

Joint membership packages with the Angling Trust are available for individuals, clubs, fisheries and other categories.

Angling Trust