ATLANTIC SALMON have been confirmed as breeding in the Don that is part of the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation.
This is the first time in over two centuries this has occurred, Janet Friend reports.
The Don Catchment Rivers Trust has told that discovering a wild-born salmon in the river was the first evidence of successful spawning since they were wiped out by pollution and man-made barriers in the form of locks in the past centuries.
Fish passes
But for the last 20 years fish passes (pictured) have been installed reconnecting the river to the sea, enabling the fish to return to their original spawning area.
Young salmon, known as parr, were found during an electrofishing survey in Sheffield and in Doncaster that is part of the navigation.
According to the trust, electrofishing uses an electrical current passed through the water to temporarily stun fish that is a safe, non-lethal method of surveying fish populations.