My family have fished this river for 300 years - now pollution has killed all the fish

For three centuries, coracle fishers in Carmarthenshire, Wales have relied on the Tywi River for their livelihood. However, recent pollution has caused the fish population to dwindle, with one fifth-generation fisherman reporting catching only one fish during the entire three-month season between May and July. Testing by the campaign group Achub y Tywi revealed industrial, agricultural, and human waste pollution in the water, with many fishers reporting seeing dead fish bobbing in the river.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is taking reports of pollution seriously and has ongoing enforcement and compliance investigations within the Tywi catchment. Despite the company Welsh Water promising to invest £889m over the next five years to reduce its impact on the river, local fishers express frustration that the problem persists.

The chairman of the Carmarthen Coracle and Netsman Association, Andrew Davies, believes the tradition of coracle fishing is in dire straits. Local people have also shared videos online of pollution from a nearby electronics recycling company, Mekatek, which claims to be taking steps to reduce its impact. However, many fishers feel that no meaningful action is being taken to clean up the river and restore their once-prosperous livelihood.