Salmon trapped by low water level in River Teme

[Editor]

BBC Reports:

Temporary modifications are being made to two weirs to enable Atlantic salmon get upstream to spawn after they became trapped due to low water levels.
The fish need to work their way 31 miles (50km) north of Ludlow to spawn but are struggling to leap upstream in the River Teme.
Some weigh up to 30lbs (14kg) and may have travelled from Greenland with some females carrying up to 10,000 eggs, the Environment Agency said.

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[Editor]

Report from Environment Agency:

Many of the salmon that were stuck in low flows at a weir on the River Teme at Ludlow have now successfully continued their journey upstream.

Temporary modifications to the weir last week, combined with recent rainfall, have helped the fish jump the hurdles to make their way to spawning grounds.

Environment Agency teams rushed to the rescue of the fish fearing they would be stranded and left to spawn in unsuitable surroundings (they need shallow pools and gravel).

Between 29 November and 1 December, the Environment Agency successfully made temporary modifications to the Dinham and Mill Street weirs in record time. These modifications enabled the fish to negotiate the weirs and move upstream. Within a short time of these modifications being completed, salmon were seen using the passages to ascend the weir.

Chris Bainger, Technical Fisheries Specialist said: “We realised quite quickly that the rainfall was not going to be enough to raise the level of the river so the fish could jump the weir. We worked closely with a number of people to make sure we could help the salmon reach their spawning ground, to ensure the future health of the river.”

The construction of the weir modifications has been supported by the Teme Weirs Trust, Friends of Whitcliffe Common and the Dinham Millennium Green Trust, who own the weirs, and Shropshire Council’s, Natural and Historic Environment Department.