At long last it appears that love has seeped into the rivers of
South Wales. During the Industrial Revolution it was a dark time for migrating salmon, as the rivers ran black from pollution. But thanks to the end of heavy industry and a lot of help from Environment Agency Wales, The Welsh Assembly, European Union and Angling Associations, there has been a vast increase in funding, and regulation, which has resulted in a network of fish passes being created. This has enabled salmon and other species of fish to make a dramatic comeback. One example of how migration has, for salmon and sea-trout, been dramatically improved, is the River Taff, they have been seen travelling up-river to spawn, ensuring future generations of these iconic species.
What follows is the tale of a skinny but passionate and determined fish, monitored by Environment Agency Wales know as ‘Salmon 66’, who through his adventures on the Taff has shown that no matter what the obstacles, salmon are resilient and determined – especially when it comes to affairs of the heart.
Environment Agency Wales traps and monitors fish every year and the hero of this tale had already clocked up a fair few fish miles having found his way past Cardiff Bay Barrage and two other significant weirs, before being trapped at Radyr Weir Fish Pass, where the Agency Wales
stepped in and fitted
him with a radio tag to monitor his progress. Radyr Weir was an obstruction to migratory fish, constructed in the nineteenth century for the essential operation of a local tin plate works.
The Agency’s tracking programme provides detailed information on fish movement, which allows the organisation to assess the impact of redundant weirs from the time of the Industrial Revolution on fish migrations, and the effectiveness of the new network of fish passes.
Environment Agency
Wales, through this monitoring, can also learn a lot about the behaviour of individual fish. Salmon 66 was tracked to an area called Upper Boat before using a fish pass at the historically impassable Treforest Weir. After a short pause and he moved on to Pontypridd, twelve miles north of Cardiff , before arriving at the rural village of Troedyrhiw. The journey took him approximately two months to complete. Exhausted by his travels he had a well earned rest in a deep pool near Troedyrhiw, refreshed and eager he moved up-river towards the spawning grounds. Such movement is not uncommon amongst salmon but as events transpired, it showed that Salmon 66 is no ordinary salmon.
Salmon 66 next tackled the Environment Agency Wales’ Merthyr Weir, a £450,000 fish pass opened in 2008, it seems that he was determined to go where no salmon had gone before him. Spurred on by his achievements, he travelled on to the Cefn Coed Weir , as this was new ground he felt lonely so returned down-river, descending five major weirs to arrive back downstream at Blackweir, the Agency’s newly completed fish pass, which was officially opened earlier this month by Welsh rugby legend Gareth Edwards CBE.
Having covered a river distance of approximately 100 kilometres the Agency expected Salmon 66 to leave the river and head back out to sea, probably never to be seen or heard of again. But Salmon 66 amazed Agency officers by reversing his course again, making his way back up the river, over the same three weirs he had negotiated twice before, to a relatively unknown stream known as the Nant Lonydd. Two days later Agency monitoring revealed the salmon’s motivation for this strange behaviour. He had company, a similar sized salmon but a female, tagged as ‘Salmon 111’. They were found lying together on a shallow gravel bed. The following day a salmon redd was present indicating that their spawning was complete.
Environment Agency
Wales Technical Specialist Pete Gough said: “This story, whilst appropriate for Valentine’s Day, also provides a fascinating insight into the behaviour of salmon in the River Taff. Although it’s a great real-life story, it also tells us that the network of fish passes on the River is working well. Salmon 66 used the large fish pass on the Cardiff Bay Barrage to enter the Taff, and moved up and down the River freely. His migration shows that there is no significant delay below any of the major weirs, which we believe shows that the free migration of salmon in the River Taff is at last nearly restored.”
Sadly everlasting love this was not; Salmon 66 moved back to the Taff and again swam upstream whilst Salmon 111 was later seen in the company of an untagged salmon. Ah such is the fickle nature of
love.
Fin up Salmon 66, plenty more fish in the sea.