ACTION is needed so that a wartime legacy does not threaten the Tyne’s status as the best salmon river in England and Wales.
Many migratory fish such as salmon, sea trout, eels and some coarse species are finding it increasingly difficult to surmount the weir at Hexham road bridge in Northumberland.
Tyne Rivers Trust director Professor Malcolm Newson said that the rich gravel deposits on the bed of the Tyne were “mined” for reconstruction work on Tyneside after the Second World War.
“The river was an obvious source of gravel and many building firms had big concessions along the Tyne,” he said.
The subsequent action of the river and floodwaters on a river bed loosened by the gravel extraction had left levels below the Hexham weir much lower than those above, making it harder for fish to progress upstream to spawn.
“There is a clear gap in fishing records above and below Hexham bridge,” said Prof Newson.
Tyne Rivers Trust commissioned a study of the problem by Elliott Environmental Surveyors Ltd of Hexham. The study shows how a fish pass can be built under Hexham’s Tyne Bridge to help fish to pass the major obstruction.
The £380,000 pass is likely to consist of a series of metal chevrons on the weir, with funding being sought from the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority as part of a mitigation package to offset any potential impact on fish stocks of the construction of the second Tyne Tunnel. The authority paid for the study.
Trust chairman Andrew Davison said: “The need to correct the growing problem for fish passage at Hexham has long been recognised as a major priority for the river. If we don’t address it soon, then migrating fish are going to be severely threatened in their ability to spawn, resulting in major population declines.
“The feasibility study is a substantial step towards addressing this problem.
“This is a very important project because if we did nothing potentially it could become more and more of an issue in the longer term.
“If the project goes ahead it will help preserve the Tyne’s status as England’s best salmon river.”
The next step will be to seek approval from the Environment Agency and planning consent, with the hope that the pass can be created next year.
Prof Newson said: “This fish pass is fundamental to the health of the river and we must continue to do everything in our power to see that it is built as soon as we can.
“The pass will itself act as a major attraction for visitors and locals alike, who will be able to experience the magnificent sight of salmon and sea trout passing an obstruction which currently defeats all but the fittest while the less obvious passage of other fish species, both upstream and downstream, will benefit the whole Tyne ecosystem.”
Last week The Journal reported how 2010 saw the best-ever salmon rod catch of 5,115 in the River Tyne and that a record 1,866 salmon were counted in the river between February and May this year, up from 581 in the same period last year.
