Young salmon have been discovered in the River Leven, North Yorkshire for the first time in 150 years.
The spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the river had been unreachable to adult fish since a weir was built at Leven Bridge between Ingelby Barwick and Thornaby during the industrial revolution.
In 2007 the Environment Agency (E.A.) built a new fish pass beside the weir and the presence of the year-old 18cm/7.25" fish indicates at least one pair of adults had successfully navigated this obstacle after travelling up the River Tees, of which the Leven is a tributary.
The fish was discovered as part of the E.A.'s National Fisheries Survey Programme which is collecting data of fish populations in the river. It is hoped that the weir, in combination with work to reduce silt levels, will further increase salmon populations while at the same time helping other fish species such as Brown trout.
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