About

About the Test & Itchen Association

The Test and Itchen Association is dedicated to conserving and protecting the Hampshire chalkstreams of the Test & Itchen Catchment and the River Meon. The Test, Itchen and Meon rivers are extremely rare habitats. They are three of only about 200 chalk streams in the world. Chalk streams are under threat from pollution and over extraction of water. Both the River Test and the River Itchen are classified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with the Itchen additionally designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

The Test & Itchen Association is working to protect these precious rivers and restore them to health. We can’t do this alone. We need Southern Water to do more. We need the support of Government, local authorities, farmers and the local community.

Water quality monitoring River Test

Our Work

We monitor and counter threats to the ecological health of the Rivers – principally to water quality from sewage and pollution and from over abstraction. 

We have established:

32 of 48 sites on the Water Quality Monitoring Network

A network of River Fly invertebrate monitors who monitor invertebrates and pollution on the rivers on a monthly basis

12 Smart River Sites

We also monitor the potential impact on the health of the rivers from planning applications and raise objections where needed.

We coordinate the weed cut with the Environment Agency to allow the river weed to be cut within specific dates. Our wardens monitor the cutting and clearing down of cut weed to minimise the impact on the fish and fish habitat.

We share river restoration best practice and promote restoration projects to our members through workshops and visits 

Help Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) initiatives

Encourage the removal of barriers to migratory fish

We promote game fishing on the Test & Itchen and represent the interests of owners, keepers and anglers on these waters. We promote the benefits of fly fishing on the Test & Itchen to the environment, economy and local community. We want to encourage more people to take up fly fishing and secure its popularity on the Test & Itchen for years to come.

We work closely with partner organisations to advocate for the protection of the Hampshire chalk streams and campaign for changes to be made where the health of the rivers or the river habitat is under threat. We also participate in national campaigns and lobbying for policy changes to safeguard or restore rivers. This is an area of work we aim to do a lot more of in the future as the threats to our rivers become more stark.

The Association supports and sponsors research projects aimed at developing a better understanding of the river environment. We are happy to facilitate appropriate student dissertations and projects that aim to broaden the understanding of our rivers and the risks to their future. Previous work has included a study on the impact of fish farming on the Test and Itchen, an appraisal of the condition of the rivers, including the effect of river flows on water quality and pollution levels and a study of algal growth on the rivers. We have also sponsored studies of aquatic plants and the effects of stocking brown trout. 

Do you think you may have a relevant research project?

If you are a student or an academic with a project in these areas, please contact us for further discussion.

On request, we run river visits and workshops to explore different approaches to river management.  We can also arrange training courses on subjects such as river fly (invertebrate) monitoring. If you are looking for a training day along Test or Itchen, please contact us.

In the past, the Association has found it necessary to take legal action to deal with serious threats to the river environment. It has also fought applications for water abstraction, gravel extraction and the discharge of effluents. It has prevented the establishment of navigation rights on the River Itchen because of the damage this would cause to the ecosystem. 

Our Partners

The Association works with a wide range of governmental and non-governmental organisations and the local community to protect the rivers. The two main government agencies are the Environment Agency and Natural England. We are part of the Test and Itchen Catchment Partnership, a group of organisations who share the common goal of working together to improve the management and health of the Test and Itchen River Catchment.

Our Partners
 
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Wild Trout Trust Guidance
Environment Agency logo

Who We Are

The Test & Itchen Association is a membership organisation open to anyone who has an interest in or cares about these rivers. We are a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and funded entirely from membership subscriptions or donations. The Association was formed in 1907.  Originally known as the Test and Itchen Trout Fishing Association, the name was shortened to the Test and Itchen Association in 1993 to reflect our wider conservation and environmental interests.

History of the T&I

Our Directors

The Association is steered by a Board of Directors who are elected by the Members and who serve a three year term. At the end of the three year term they can, if they wish, be put forward for re-election. The members of the Association vote on the appointment of Directors at the Annual General Meeting. Directors have a wide range of expertise covering river and estate management and practical river keeping and are able to draw on their extensive fishery, environmental, legal and scientific experience. The Board meets four times per year.

Our Team

The day-to-day activities of the Association are managed by Executive Director, Paul Vignaux, Administrator Wendy Turkington and Finance Officer, Monica Howard. We also have a number of part-time volunteer Wardens who help coordinate and facilitate the weed cuts on the Test. The River Wardens for 2025 are, Keith Fisher, Nigel de Foubert and Chris Geal.

How to Help

Become a member. Volunteer. Make a donation. Or simply save water at home. Here’s how you can help.

Get involved

Becoming a Member

Membership is open to anyone with an interest in protecting and preserving the rivers. This could be as an individual who fishes or simply cares about the health of the rivers, a local business who wishes to support us, or as riparian owner or lesee. Individual members pay a standard rate of subscription. Riparian owners and/or fishery owners pay a rate which is proportionate to the length and type of stretch of the river that is held.

Membership

If you would like to support our vital work conserving and protecting the Test, Itchen and Meon rivers, then please help us by joining our association.

Join Us

Hearing From Our Members

We hold two formal membership meetings each year: an Annual General Meeting (AGM) in the Spring, and an Autumn Members’ Day at the end of the fishing season, usually in October. The Autumn Meeting is a day scheduled with invited speakers who share their expertise in their field. Issues covered include the health of our chalkstreams, water quality and flows, habitat management and the protection of the broader chalkstream. Recent members’ days have included a field visit, such as a restoration project. We also hold regular meetings with riparian owners, lessees and river keepers. In the coming months we will be introducing new ways to stay in touch with our members.

Members Area
River Management
Bring Back the Salmon
Fly Fishing
Are Our Rivers in Danger?
Go Fishing
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