Renowned conservationist and ex-Undertones frontman Seán Feargal Sharkey OBE is a singer from Northern Ireland, best known as the lead singer of the punk band The Undertones in the 1970s and 1980s, and for his solo work in the 1980s and 1990s. His 1985 solo single "A Good Heart" was an international success. After becoming less musically active in the early 1990s, he has taken on various roles supporting the UK's commercial music industry, winning several awards and honors for his work in this area.
Sharkey is also a lifelong fly-fisherman and has campaigned against the pollution of Britain's rivers (particularly chalk streams). He holds the position of chairman of the Amwell Magna Fishery and has emerged as a figurehead for the campaign to stop water companies from dumping sewage into Britain's waterways and coastlines.
On 30 August 2020, Sharkey appeared in episode 3 of the second series of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, discussing the environmental pressures on Britain's chalk rivers during a conversation on the River Lea. He reappeared in episode 6 of the fifth series of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing on 14 October 2022, discussing pollution in English rivers, including the Thames and the Wye. He continues to serve as chairman of the Amwell Magna Fishery. He has since become a prominent advocate for the campaign to halt water companies' practice of dumping untreated sewage into Britain's waterways and coastlines. He has appeared on TV news and has garnered a substantial following on Twitter, while also supporting The Times' campaign to 'clean it up'.
The SCI has transitioned into a charity to support its ongoing mission of establishing a thriving natural environment for wildlife along the entire length of the Spey and its tributaries. The organization's charitable status enhances its ability to attract 'green funding' for conservation projects aimed at restoring salmon and other endangered species to the Spey. This also involves making the river more resilient against the impacts of climate change. To augment the population of microbes and insects that constitute the salmon's diet, a recent initiative involved felling several trees while keeping their roots intact. These trees were strategically placed in the water along the upper reaches of the Spey and tributaries like the Calder.