The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) are developing a new citizen science project called Lakefly.

This project is focused on monitoring shoreline freshwater invertebrates in lakes. Lakefly builds on the success and impact of the Riverfly method, extending it to the under-monitored world of lakes.

Lakes are generally under monitored in comparison to rivers, and Lakefly—developed in partnership with the Natural England lake specialist—aims to fill this critical knowledge gap by using shoreline invertebrates as indicators of lake ecosystem health.

Volunteers are currently being recruited to monitor pilot sites across England, capturing a wide diversity of UK lake types. This will help to refine the Lakefly method and scoring system to ensure it is applicable and fit for purpose.

The Lakefly pilot will run over summer up to winter 2025. Training will be available from late July and includes:

• one-hour online module (completed at home) introducing the target invertebrate groups
• one-day, in-person training session to put these skills into practice

Once trained, participants will be assigned a lake and monitoring location and asked to carry out monthly shoreline sampling. FBA staff will provide full support throughout the process, and results will be shared at the end of the pilot with the opportunity to provide feedback.

It is currently anticipated that Lakefly will formally launch in Spring/Summer 2026. Your involvement will be instrumental in refining the method, improving the biotic scoring system, and identifying how Lakefly data can support lake management and conservation.

Find out more at Lakefly | Citizen Science — Freshwater Biological Association. If you are interested, contact Sophie and Emma at lakefly@fba.org.uk.