Salmon are back

[village wench]

I found this on the BBC website,don't know if anyone is interested,but to me it signals a cleaned up and accessible river.........
"A salmon has been filmed swimming through a fish pass in Peterborough for the first time in decades, according to the Environment Agency.

The film was taken at the Dog in the Doublet sluice on the Rives Nene at the fish pass, which slows the flow of water to allow fish to go upstream. "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/c.../7534792.stm:D

[Tricia]

The link doesn't appear to work VW. It would be nice to think the rivers are getting cleaner.

[village wench]

Seems external linking is a no no !! I am supposed to copy and paste the stuff from the beeb............

A salmon has been filmed swimming through a fish pass in Peterborough for the first time in decades, according to the Environment Agency.

The film was taken at the Dog in the Doublet sluice on the Rives Nene at the fish pass, which slows the flow of water to allow fish to go upstream.

Poor water quality and locks and weirs had been blamed for the loss of salmon and sea trout from rivers.

The Agency is completing a programme of installing fish passes in other rivers.

Chris Reeds, of the Environment Agency, said: "The work we have undertaken to remove barriers to fish migration, alongside major improvements to water quality, is beginning to attract these spectacular fish back into our rivers.

"We will continue our work to ensure that salmon and sea trout are a regular sight in this area.

[ron1863]

We now have salmon and sea-trout going up our little river after an absence of many, many years and there have also been conformed sightings of a pair of otters and kingfishers, not bad for a 5 mile long river.

[village wench]

Originally Posted by ron1863

We now have salmon and sea-trout going up our little river after an absence of many, many years and there have also been conformed sightings of a pair of otters and kingfishers, not bad for a 5 mile long river.

You are really lucky then,the river in my village alternates between a puddle and a full flood
ps. I love the signature

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by village wench

You are really lucky then,the river in my village alternates between a puddle and a full flood
ps. I love the signature

Cheers village wench - my river is a flood river as we live in a valley, normally low water but a days rain raises it about 8 feet.

[seamusagleann]

last week i was in glasgow and had a few days watching wildlife on white cart water which runs through the south side and into the river clyde. i saw my first kingfisher ,a dipper and there were signs of fish rising to flys ,which is a good sign . we also watched a family of red breasted mergansers diving and feeding . i don't think it will be long ,if indeed it hasn't happened, before otter sightings become common!! it is still a bit untidy with debris thrown from bridges,but it's a start

[Tricia]

I thought I had heard about this last year - can't see an update - as you said VW looks like a good sign.

Thames 'clean enough' for salmon

The 2cm (0.8in) long salmon have been released into the river
Salmon have been introduced to the River Thames after experts declared the water clean enough for the fish to breed - after almost 200 years.
The young salmon, were released into the Thames tributary, Lambourne river, at Welford, near Newbury, Berks.

Thames salmon died out in the 1830s, with salmon from other sources, which do not breed there, present from 1974, the Environment Agency (EA) said.

It is hoped a salmon population will be back in the River Thames in 5-10 years.

An EA spokesperson said the new salmon should stay in the river for a year before heading downstream through London, and up to Greenland before coming back to breed.

Darryl Cilfton-Dey, of the Environment Agency, told BBC news: "People do fish for salmon on the Thames but the population is so small at the moment that there's not a great deal of chance of catching one.

"Hopefully if these come back, and if they breed and if the young from those come back, then in a few year's time there'll be quite a few salmon around."

Salmon eggs, about 5,000, were incubated and 2cm (0.8in) long baby salmon introduced to the river.