WFD Cycle 2: River Fish Ecological Status Classification

Fish classification data for rivers under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The dataset contains metrics on fish composition, abundance, and prevalence processed through the FCS2 classification tool, resulting in an Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR) and a final status class (High, Good, Moderate, Poor, Bad). It was produced by the Environment Agency and is provided in XLSX format, with a last update recorded as 2026-07-17.

Use Cases

• Assess river ecological status based on fish population metrics described in the dataset.
• Calculate Ecological Quality Ratios (EQRs) by comparing observed fish metrics to expected pristine conditions.
• Monitor compliance with Water Framework Directive (WFD) objectives for water bodies.
• Model the impact of environmental changes on river fish communities using classification results.

Strengths

• Classification follows the standardized Water Framework Directive (WFD) methodology.
• Data is processed through the specific FCS2 classification tool mentioned in the description.
• Produced by the authoritative Environment Agency organization.

Limitations

• The dataset has been retired and superseded by another record, indicating it is not the current version.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency

Collection Method

Metrics on river fish are run through the FCS2 classification tool to produce an Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-17 15:08:29.570253; freshness should be verified as the dataset is retired.

Geography

Rivers, likely within the jurisdiction of the UK Environment Agency.