Bob Wellard is the Director of Fisheries for the Piscatorial Society. He recalls first connecting with wild places while serving in the military in remote areas of Canada. Having the desire to do more to protect wild places he embarked on a career in fisheries and conservation. Having studied with the Institute of Fisheries Management he has held various positions in river conservation but, starting in Devon, became responsible for managing a large section of the river Tamar. Since 2009 he has been instrumental in shaping the Piscatorial Society’s wild fish conservation enhancement programs on the iconic Rivers Test, Itchen, Avon, Wylye, and more recently on the River Anton in Southern England. During his professional career, which spans over 30 years, he has focused most of his time on delivering natural solutions to improve freestone and chalk river landscapes, creating opportunities for nature and wildlife to bounce back, where people can also enjoy the benefits. Much of this time has also been used to develop and share best practices for managing salmonid fisheries in a more sustainable way – 'Nature before Nurture' being his modus operandi.As a Trustee of Wessex Rivers Trust, he supported a central team delivering catchment-based solutions and river improvements across Wiltshire and Hampshire. Currently, he’s working with multiple stakeholders on the Lower River Anton & Westfair River Restoration Project, which is seen as a flagship for chalk stream restoration, and where people of all ages can engage in science to better understand both natural and unnatural river processes.Using his entrepreneurial approach to delivering practical rewilding at scale, and working in a coalition with like-minded organisations, the Piscatorial Society has become a key partner in the collaboration of such initiatives. Bob Wellard is also an angler activist, having participated in various expeditions to North America, Argentina, Norway, and Sweden he is fully aware of what is possible when rivers and mother nature are given a helping hand.