Mark Lloyd, chief executive of the Angling Trust and Fish Legal, explains why clean rivers are so important Exit player River and fishing groups have rounded on Wales’ environmental regulator Natural Resources Wales, branding it "no longer fit for purpose".
Mark Lloyd, chief executive of the Angling Trust and Fish Legal, said the regulator needed to take a much tougher stance but did not have "the resources to investigate properly".
The NRW argues that it is misleading to equate effectiveness with the numbers of prosecutions, saying it takes enforcement action "where appropriate".
There, England’s Environment Agency is taking "a really proactive approach", according to Dr Marsh-Smith, partnering with the Wye and Usk Foundation.
She is working with Welsh Water to bring a similar project to west Wales.
Pollution incidents from farms is not increasing significantly year on year but the NRW still regards it as too high and in need of reduction.
"It has become serious over the latter few years, and is an issue very much here in west Wales," he said.
Mr Manley said if incidents of agricultural pollution were isolated in the figures, the percentage facing enforcement action would rise to around 6-7%.
But he said sanctions were only "one of the tools in the box" and the organisation was trying to work proactively with farmers, an approach supported by Welsh Government.
He emphasised there was a need to work in partnership with the farming industry and charities to help tackle the issue of pollution on Welsh rivers.