Paul Coulson

Trustee since 2024



After leaving the hallowed grounds of Sparsholt College I moved back to my beloved Yorkshire. My first job was working for the EA Dales region on the summer surveys; this was a great way to learn the different survey techniques and gave me a grounding in data handling, gear maintenance, pork pie eating and tea drinking. I worked with a great team (including Mike Lee, Ian Dolben and Steve Axford) many of whom are still friends today. From there I moved back to Winchester to take a post with Hampshire County Council as a laboratory technician working on soil sampling and analysis. Once my girlfriend (now wife) had completed her time at Sparsholt we moved once again to Yorkshire.

My next job saw me back splashing about in water (albeit a bit dirtier) as an Environmental Scientist for a small consultancy. My role was to take and analyse samples of surface and groundwater from active and retired landfill sites. Although this may not sound the most glamorous of jobs I really enjoyed my time and learnt a great deal on the way (its amazing the amount of life these sites hold).

I finally spent 8 rewarding years as the head of the fisheries department at a land based college before moving to the IFM in 2012.

Family life takes up a lot of my spare time and fishing has been a bit limited over the past few years. I do still try and get out as much as possible and really enjoy my winter match fishing on the canals of East Yorkshire. I also catch the odd big grayling!

I also enjoy keeping fit and compete in obstacle course races as well as playing for a veterans football team and the odd bit of squash.

I am also the Chairman of the East Yorkshire Rivers Trust as well as a member of the British Record Fish Committee and Chair of the East Yorkshire Fisheries Forum for the Angling Trust.

In 2021 I was honoured to be made a Fellow of the Institute