The 112th SFG meeting takes place on Thursday 24 April 2025 as a hybrid event, giving members the option of attending in-person at the University of Stirling (pre-registration required) or joining online via MS Teams.
Meeting overview
The SFG Spring 2025 meeting will support a mix of presentations and open topic discussion connected to freshwaters. This agenda has been led by our SFG Guest Coordinator Sarah Halliday (AtkinsRéalis) with support from Kerr Adams (SFG Team).
09:15 In-person SFG meeting campus registration (prebooked Eventbrite ticket spaces only)
09:50 Online SFG meeting waiting room opens
10:00 SFG112 Welcome and Introductions
- Pauline Lang and Sarah Halliday
- Audrey Nicoll, Member of Parliament for the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine Constituency
Morning session - chaired by Sarah Halliday, with support from Kerr Adams
10:20 Alison Brown (University of Stirling) and Anna Doeser (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) – MOT4Rivers: How hydroclimatic interactions impact pollutant mixtures within the River Almond
10:50 Louise Lavictoire (Freshwater Biological Association) – When two species collide: the impact of expanding Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) populations on the freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera)
11:20 Julie Rostan (University of Aberdeen) – Creating healthy and resilient river systems across Scotland: prioritising research and development gap for river woodlands
11:50 Andrada Opris (Edinburgh Napier University) – Buzzing around SUDS: tales from the field on pollinators and sustainable urban drainage systems
12:10 SFG Poster presenter pitches with brief introductions (1 min each)
12:15 Lunch break and poster session (see poster list below)
Afternoon session - chaired by Sarah Hallday, with support from Kerr Adams
13:45 David Bryan (University of Stirling) – Greenhouse gas emissions from Scottish agricultural ponds
14:15 Michael Farrell (The River Eden Sustainability Partnership) – Catchment and community: making the connections in the River Eden in Fife
14:45 Shaini Naha (The James Hutton Institute) – Using a detailed abstraction database to plan assessing current and future water resources availability in Scotland
15:15 François Robinne (Pacific Salmon Foundation) – Wildfire risks to water security: insights from Canada
15:45 SFG Reflections, Announcements & Meeting Close – with latest updates from the SFG Team
**Followed by a social drink in the Meadowpark Hotel for those SFG members able to join us**
Lunchtime poster presentations
- Dominique Anderson (Herriot Watt University) – Environmental stressor combinations and their impact on Rana temporaria tadpoles in UK ponds
- David de la Haye (University of Newcastle) – Underwater listening as a tool for engaging young people with pond life
- Alexander Adams (University of Stirling) – Freshwater ecoacoustics in beaver-engineered wetlands
- Lavanya Vythalingam (Herriot Watt University) – Anthropogenic stressors on freshwater biodiversity: impacts of pollutants mixtures on Rana temporaria development
- Jennifer Dodd (Edinburgh Napier University) - Easter Beltie River Restoration project update: results from macroinvertebrate monitoring
- Nabeil Salama (Scottish Government) - Marine and Freshwater Areas of Research Interests
Next meeting of the Scottish Freshwater Group will be held on Thursday 30 October 2025. The plan for this key knowledge-exchange event is to proceed as a full-day hybrid SFG meeting agenda.