> How does one go about privatizing a river? In England, I think it can be a matter of buying the land either side of the river, but whether its owner controls

> How does one go about privatizing a river? In England, I think it can be a matter of buying the land either side of the river, but whether its owner controls navigation seems to be contested. The UK Environment Agency says watercourses (including rivers) in England can be privately owned. [0] British Canoeing seems to say that access to most navigable waterways in England is contested, including as trespass: "Of the 42,700 miles of inland waterways in England, only 1,400 miles can be paddled uncontested - that is a mere 4% of what is available. Paddlers are subject to challenge or dispute over their right to be on the water. ...If you are paddling on a river, lake or other waters where there is a disputed public right of navigation, then it could be alleged you may be trespassing." [1] I think watercourses are a proper subset of waterways, with lakes being an example of waterways that aren't watercourses. The right of owners to control fishing in England (and Wales) seems not to be contested in the way navigation is: "While the national rod licence gives a licence to fish anywhere in England and Wales, you might still need permission from the riparian owner to fish from her/his stretch of the river bank. The owner of the land adjoining one side of a natural river or stream owns the exclusive fishing rights (called, riparian rights) on her or his side of the bank. These rights extend up to the middle of the water. They can be leased or sold as separate property right (apart from ownership of the land itself). So, the owner does not necessarily have the right to fish from her/his side of the bank. An owner whose land adjoins a pond or lake has similar rights which extend as far as the middle of the water unless it encircles the pond or lake." [2] [0] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/owning-a-watercourse https://www.gov.uk/guidance/owning-a-watercourse [1] https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/go-canoeing/access-and-environment/access-to-water/ https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/go-canoeing/access-and-en... [2] https://www.inbrief.co.uk/sports-law/uk-fishing-rights/ https://www.inbrief.co.uk/sports-law/uk-fishing-rights/