One of the great success stories of free market environmentalism has been the activities of British angling clubs, who have been jealously protecting their right to fish in clean rivers since 1948. The Guardian has a good story on the success of the Anglers' Conservation Association today, something that also points out how much more successful the Anglers have been than the UK government's Environment Agency in conserving the rivers:

"We're very distinct from the Environment Agency [EA]," says Mark Lloyd, director of the ACA. "When fish kills are reported to the agency's hotline, it will invest resources and expertise to investigate the incident and bring a prosecution under criminal law. The fines are usually low, about £15,000, and go straight to the government for lighting streets or running hospitals. Any money raised from fines does not go back to the rivers.

"The ACA may follow the EA on a case, but we seek and win damages through the civil courts where we have to prove 51% probability - not 'reasonable doubt'. These damages are much greater than fines, and the money all goes back to fishing clubs for restoring rivers. We've had some big wins, like £450,000 following a pollution incident on the river Eden in Cumbria in 1999. It was used to set up the Eden Rivers Trust, which has generated millions to restore and manage this beautiful river."

In fact, the ACA is currently suing the Environment Agency for damage to its fish to the tune of about $800,000.

This all works because anglers pay for the right to fish and the law of nuisance compensates them for damage to the value of that property. The laws of economics and enlightened self-interest take care of the rest.