About Us

WELCOME TO THE SALFORD FRIENDLY ANGLERS SOCIETY

The Salford Friendly Anglers Society was instituted on the 2nd of April 1817, and is by some considerable margin the worlds oldest angling society.

We would like to invite you to join us via our free membership option, to join what has become the River Irwell and its tributaries largest environmental lobbying group.

Our four primary objectives are:

1. To raise the profile, and public awareness of the River Irwell and its tributaries as a leisure facility.

2. To ensure that our local authorities, United Utilities and the Environment Agency continue to divert resources towards the continuing environmental revival of the River Irwell and its tributaries as fisheries.

3. To ensure that as much of the river as possible remains free access to fishermen and other water users

4. To encourage people to go fishing!
IT CAME
The Irwell Valley now supports Otters, Kingfishers and Deer, and a wide variety of fish live in its waters. However, large amounts of human and industrial waste still enter the water course on a regular basis. It’s high time this ongoing pollution ended. Please join us – in our lobbying of politicians, United Utilities, The Environment Agency and other organisations to ensure that environmental improvements continue within the Irwell Valley.

As a member, we will contact you from time to time via email, and ask you to either write or send an email to a particular individual or organisation highlighting your dissatisfaction about an issue or event and a request for them to take appropriate action.

We continue to target waste water treatment plants which are continuing to flush plastic sanitary waste products into the river, Combined Sewage Outfalls which release raw sewage into the river during periods of heavy rain, and business which are still releasing industrial waste into the river. We have a high level of engagement with United Utilities over these matters, and have made our voices heard and feelings known. Salford Friendly Anglers Society were consultees on UUs latest round of capital spend.

Insect life within the rivers waters is still fairly basic and limited to pollution tolerant species. By taking steps to improve water quality and oxygenation, the river will be able to host a wider diversity of bug life, which in turn will provide food for a greater number and wider variety of species higher up the food chain.

We now have a number of still waters within the area – and manage these waters with the same ethos as our sections of river – free fishing to encourage people to take up fishing as a past time. All of these waters are located in Inner City Public Parks – and are “challenging” locations to manage as fisheries – however with the help of Local Authorities and The Environment Agency – we are managing to offer high quality free fishing at an increasing number of venues – supporting angling in general in our region

Enjoy browsing through our website; we’ve a little local history, some great photos new and old, and a campaign page giving information about our current projects.