A strange dichotomy exists between those commentators who suggest Walton had little or no knowledge of natural science, and those who now anoint him "The Godfather of River Conservation."
How does "the Father of Natural History" mesh with the previous assertion of "no knowledge of natural history earlier? The answer lies in his profound respect for the environment and his foresight regarding the necessity of preservation.
Benjamin M. Guyer in ‘The Sixteenth Century Journal’ (2016): “ ‘The Compleat Angler’... long hailed as a primary inspiration for the modern conservation movement.”
Robert Kyle in ‘The Washington Post’ (1993): “Izaak Walton - the father of fishing - is coming to be recognized as a godfather of conservation and preservation.”
‘The Compleat Angler’ is widely recognised as one of the earliest publications to actively promote and champion fish welfare, river management, and wildlife protection.
FENCE-MONTHS / CLOSE SEASON
Piscator: "As we walk across the fields, I’ll tell you what I think of not keeping the fence-months for the preservation of fish.
For these are the usual months that salmon swim from the sea to spawn
in most fresh rivers. And their fry would, about a certain time, return
back to the saltwater, if they were not hindered by weirs, nets and
unlawful traps, which greedy fishermen set, and so destroy fish by
thousands. It will, in time, prove the destruction of all rivers."
from Walton's Part One of 'The Compleat Angler' (1653)
To which G.C. Davies added: “If only Walton's warning had been heeded, many a happy hunting-ground for the angler would have been spared from destruction.”
in 'The Compleat Angler' (1878)
Six years later, R.B. Marston echoed Davies fears: “It
is a bold thing to say, but I doubt if these words of Walton had not
been ringing down the centuries ever louder and louder, that our
freshwater fisheries would have long ago been destroyed.”
in ‘Walton and Some Earlier Writers on Fish and Fishing’ (1894)
++++++++++
Simon Redfern in ‘The Independent’ (2024): “What raises ‘The Compleat Angler’ far above a mere manual or series of jolly outings is Walton's profound understanding of natural history and the particular ecosystems fundamental to angling. In his awareness of the environment, he was centuries ahead of his time.”
Jim Dixon in 'The Times' (2020): “Walton and Cotton do more than describing catching fish, the book is one of the earliest British natural histories.”
This influence is not merely academic; it is tangible and ongoing.
In January 1922, a group of concerned anglers and hunters gathered in Illinois to create an organization to stop the degradation of America’s waterways and natural areas. They named the organization after Izaak Walton, the conservationist and author of ‘The Compleat Angler’ : The Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA). Since its inception, the League has been an outspoken advocate for the nation’s fish and wildlife habitat. More than 200 chapters throughout the U.S. continue to offer new generations opportunities to discover nature and conservation stewardship.
The IWLA's own history page states: “Izaak Walton remains famous today as the author of ‘The Compleat Angler,’ one of the most important environmental books in history... Walton understood that a healthy environment was essential to the outdoor recreation that he loved, and used the story of Piscator and a novice fisherman to show how a healthy environment supports the "excellent art of angling." ”
Furthermore, Professor Marjorie Swann, in her commentary for IWLA.org, eloquently explained Walton’s comprehensive strategy: “ ‘The Compleat Angler’ depicts the environment as something so precious and complex that we have a moral obligation to work together to understand and preserve it. Walton's anglers not only develop a detailed knowledge of natural history and ecology, they also advocate for conservation and practice environmental justice. Walton thus champions a comprehensive strategy of conservation that shapes the policies and activities of all levels of government as well as the behaviour of individual sportsmen.”
Even at the end of the 19th century, warnings were being given on the future of fish and fishing by Andrew Lang, in his 'Introduction' to "The Compleat Angler" (1896) : “For my part, had I a river, I would gladly let all honest anglers that use the fly cast line in it, but, where there is no protection, then nets, poison, dynamite, slaughter of fingerlings, and unholy baits devastate the fish, so that "Free Fishing" spells no fishing at all. This presses most hardly on the artisan who fishes fair, a member of a large class with whose pastime only a churl would wish to interfere. We are now compelled, if we would catch fish, to seek Tarpon in Florida, Mahseer in India: it does not suffice to "stretch our legs up Tottenham Hill." ”
MORE VIEWS OF "THE COMPLEAT ANGLER'S" CONSERVATION LEGACY
G.P.R.Pulman in ‘The Vade-Mecum of Fly-fishing for Trout’ (1841): “Glorious old Izaak! What delightful thoughts - what poetical imaginings - the bare mention of thy name evokes! They come fresh and uncontaminated from the pure fountains of nature as if haloed with cowslip garlands, bespangled with the blue-bell and the water-lily stealing along amid the murmur of the summer stream, the hum of insects, and the song of birds!”
Charles Barker Bradford in ‘The Determined Angler and the Brook Trout’ (1900): “Walton, the father of fishers and fishing, angled for the habits of fishes more than for their hides. The capture of a fish was insignificantly incidental to the main notion of his hours abroad - his divine love of the waters, the fields, the meadows, the skies, the trees, and God's beautiful things that inhabit these. 'Tis the soul we seek to replenish, not the creel.”
Charles Zibeon Southard in ‘Trout Fly-Fishing in America’ (1914): “I am desirous that my readers should realize the many pleasures and benefits that necessarily must be associated with the sport, especially if the angler has the true spirit of Izaak Walton, the Master Angler of years ago. Of all sport, I know of none that seems to develop in the individual such a kindly spirit, such a full appreciation of all living things, and such an absorbing love for the many and varied charms of “the open” as fly-fishing. Conservation of our natural resources and the
protection of our streams from pollution came too late in many instances
to prove of any real value to the Brook Trout and the disciples of Ike
Walton."
Tim Glynne-Jones, 'Introduction' to 'The Compleat Angler' (2010): “Where other angling books are of limited, if not zero, appeal to those who do not fish, The Compleat Angler inspires readers from all walks of life to go in search of the quiet lanes and byways, the green fields, the hedgerows and the rivers - in short, the countryside that Walton evokes with such vivid and loving writing.”
Gifford Pinchot in ‘Just Fishing Talk’ (1936): “What lover of the angle can forget the beauty, or the strangeness, or the size, or the deliciousness of the big fish that did not get away? Walton; is but the first of a long series of anglers to treat their catch as if they loved it. Good fishermen do.”
James Panero, 'The Right Angle' in ‘The New Criterion; Vol 39, no. 10’ (2021): “Walton’s understanding of the behaviour of freshwater fish remains remarkable for the depth of his acuity and the intimacy of his language. No one else could describe a trout or a pike or a perch in such living terms as Walton.”
Henry Williamson, 'Introduction' to The Compleat Angler (1931): "While there are fish in England there will be men who dream of catching them, and of the environment of fish-capture; and so ‘The Compleat Angler’ will continue to be a classic of fishing."
Neville Malkin on ThePotteries.org (1974): "Izaak Walton is generally accepted as being the first person specifically to devote himself to portraying and interpreting the atmosphere, sights and sounds of the countryside and its inhabitants. This book is one of the most popular of the English classics.”
Monte Burke in 'Garden & Gun' (Dec 2025): "The prestigious American Museum of Fly Fishing Izaak Walton Award is given annually to a member of the angling community who “embodies the legacy of conservation and sportsmanship” left by Walton, the seventeenth-century author of perhaps the most famous fishing book of all time, 'The Compleat Angler.' "
