Fish pass helps salmon head up the River Tyne to spawn

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

From The Northern Echo: Tens of thousands of salmon have been helped by a new fish pass as they make their way up the River Tyne in a once-in-a-lifetime journey to spawn.  Along with thousands of sea trout, the fish swim up from the sea so they can lay their eggs in the tributaries of the river.

The Tyne is now regarded as the best river in England for salmon, overcoming decades of industry and pollution to see around 40,000 fish swim upstream. Along the way, they will meet obstacles such as the weir at Hexham, Northumberland, which results in them hurling themselves up the barrier. But now a special pass has been built to aid them on their journey.

Built by a partnership of the Environment Agency, the Tyne Rivers Trust and Northumberland County Council, the channel has just completed its first full year of use.

Read more here.

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