With its iridescent pink scales and elegant dorsal fin, the grayling is known to anglers as the "lady of the stream." Yet the society fighting for its protection has never been led by a woman until now. Dr Marnie Lovejoy, a criminal lawyer, has been appointed chair of the Grayling Society, aiming to protect this underappreciated fish and inspire more women to take up fly-fishing.
A New Era for the Grayling Society
Angling, especially fly-fishing, has long been male-dominated. The Fly-Fishers' Club in Mayfair, London, only allowed women as guests starting in 2024. High-profile female angler Marina Gibson has spoken about facing sexism, noting she was "constantly reminded that some people would always resent my presence in fishing simply because I was young, blond and female." Lovejoy hopes to change this. She has the backing of former rockstar turned river campaigner Feargal Sharkey, the society's honorary president.
"Women have been less likely to get involved, perhaps because it is traditionally male dominated," Lovejoy said. "But if you look at historic texts, a lot of fly-tying was done by females – there were some nuns who used to fish as well." Fly-tying involves creating artificial fishing flies from materials like feathers, fur, thread, and tinsel.
Lovejoy's Journey into Fly-Fishing
Originally from Switzerland, Lovejoy has "always loved the outdoors" but got into fly-fishing a few years ago, inspired by a "wonderful female instructor" on a river in Hampshire near her home. She hopes to inspire other women to fish. "Fishing is a wonderful activity and it makes no difference whether you are a woman or a man," she said. "We need to open up new communications channels. We had a Facebook site which wasn't really active. We have to do things on Instagram, visually show what it's all about. What is fly-fishing about, what are grayling about? Not every woman will enjoy angling, but it's important to show that women are involved and hopefully inspire others."
Lovejoy plans to hold more events to engage women and increase youth membership, noting that young people can join the Grayling Society for free. "Being at the river is something really special for me. There is something about flowing water, the ephemeral nature of it all. It's constantly changing and it's a comforting setting; you can let go of your worries," she said. "I have a very busy mind and am constantly slightly on edge. When I am in a river it all is quiet, it is meditative."
Grayling: The Canary in the Coal Mine
Unlike the Atlantic salmon and brown trout, the grayling has been ignored and even persecuted. These fish thrive in England's gin-clear chalk streams, some of the rarest habitats in the world. "Grayling were for a long time considered to be competitive with brown trout," Lovejoy explained. "Because of that, they were seen as vermin and fished out of rivers, chucked away, and culled. That is based on a misunderstanding; they have slightly different habitats and ecological niches." Rather than competing, grayling could be key to saving trout. "Grayling are very reactive to changes in water quality. If you have tiny increases in pollution or chemicals, grayling are the first to suffer. They act as a canary in the coal mine, if you will."
First Task: A Grayling Map
Lovejoy's first task as chair is to create a grayling map using catch-and-release data from members to show where the fish are struggling, overlaying this with metrics like sewage overflows. "With this data, you will see a picture of where grayling are in trouble and where they have to be prioritised," she said. "This would act like an early warning system." She is frustrated with the lack of action to protect England's rivers from sewage pollution, agricultural runoff, and road pollution. "I am very lucky I still fish rivers where there are plenty of fish, but there are definitely declines in grayling. I am frustrated."
Lifting Up the Lady of the Stream
Beyond promoting women in angling, Lovejoy wants to give the grayling a voice. "It is a beautiful fish, with a beautiful dorsal fin, which is very colourful … absolutely stunning," she rhapsodised. "They are known as the lady of the stream. They are very elegant, very charismatic, and they absolutely deserve the same respect as salmon and trout."
