The 114th SFG meeting took place on Thursday 23 April from 10am to 4.30pm as a hybrid event.
Meeting overview
The Spring 2026 will feature a mix of presentations and discussions covering a variety of freshwater work taking place across the SFG community. The open agenda is led by SFG Guest Coordinators Kathleen Stosch (University of Stirling) and Mike Hinchliffe (Edinburgh Napier University) with support from the SFG Leadership Team.
Foreword from our guest coordinators
The open agenda of the meeting reflects the wide diversity of current work being carried out within Scotland’s freshwater community. We will start the day by looking back at the SFG’s roots with a tribute to our founder, Prof Peter Maitland.
The talks for the day reflect the diversity found when working in freshwater, with representation from almost all major taxonomic groups. In the morning, we will cover people, macroinvertebrates and microbes, with talks on citizen science for filamentous algae and eutrophication, and the world’s first recordings of acoustic behaviour in three native stonefly species.
The afternoon talks will continue the talk diversity, covering: water uptake in oaks, the effects of stream restoration on invertebrate communities, amphibian use of artificial drainage ponds, and the UK’s rarest fish species. Our poster and demonstration session during the lunch break brings insight into the forthcoming Scottish Rivers Fund, and the latest guidance for Scottish growers on how to plan for water scarcity.
We look forward to engaging discussions, poster sessions and networking opportunities throughout the day.
Agenda
10:00 SFG114 Welcome and introductions
- Pauline Lang, Scottish Freshwater Group
- Kathleen Stosch, SFG Guest Coordinator, University of Stirling
Morning session - chaired by Kathleen Stosch, with support from Mike Hinchliffe
10:10 Colin Adams (SCENE, University of Glasgow) A tribute to Prof Peter Maitland
10:40 Martyn Kelly (Bowburn Consultancy) A new citizen science method for surveying filamentous algae in rivers and streams - RAPPER-CS (Rapid Assessment of PeriPhyton in Rivers for citizen scientists)
11:10 Bill Brierley (Freshwater consultant & semi-retired) Using citizen science monitoring data in eutrophication assessments - a Weight of Evidence approach case study
11:40 Jess Lister (Edinburgh Napier University) Presenting the first recordings of male and female acoustic behaviour of three endemic British stonefly species
12:10 SFG poster and demonstration presenter pitches with brief introductions (~1min each)
12:30 Lunch break and poster session with informal networking opportunities
- Federica Foiadelli (Fisheries Management Scotland) Private capital for Scotland's river catchments: forthcoming Scottish Rivers Fund
- Fiona Salter (SAC Consulting) Planning for water scarcity: Practical guidance for Scottish farmers and growers
Afternoon session - chaired by Mike Hinchliffe, with support from Kathleen Stosch
14:00 Aline Meyer Oliveira (University of Glasgow) Investigating water uptake of oak trees near Loch Lomond under a changing climate
14:30 Vasilis Louca (University of Aberdeen) Effects of stream restoration on hydromorphology and macroinvertebrate communities
15:00 Kirsty MacArthur (Edinburgh Napier University) Designing for water and wildlife: Exploring amphibian presence in Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems
15:30 Ruaidhri Forrester (University of Glasgow) Assessing the distribution and status of Britain's rarest freshwater fish, the vendace (Coregonus albula)
16:00 SFG Reflections, Announcements & Meeting Close - Updates from the SFG Team
**Followed by a social drink in the Meadowpark Hotel for SFG members able to join**
Next meeting will be held on Thursday 29 October 2026. The plan for this key knowledge-exchange event is to proceed as a full-day hybrid SFG meeting.