Salmon makes welcome return to the Mersey

By Jennifer Simms

After 200 years, salmon are reportedly back in the River Mersey; but what does this mean for the people of Liverpool and future wildlife in the river?

In the 18th Century, salmon vanished due to large pollution levels in the river, but they have made a comeback in the 21st Century due to the massive cleanup project.

The River Mersey is at its cleanest for more than a hundred years, which is bringing back wildlife such as salmon and otters.

Marianne Webb of the Environment Agency said: “The return of salmon to the river is a sign that the water quality has improved, which is great for wildlife. Better water quality means than more wildlife can live and survey in the area - otters only like to live near clean water."

Over the past 25 years the Environment Agency, together with its partners United Utilities, The Mersey Basin Campaign and the Manchester Ship Canal Company, have invested £1bn into cleaning the river. Finally the effort has paid off; not only has it brought the salmon back but it has been named as the world’s best river clean up.

The salmon have taken a while to return because of the challenge of cleaning up the Mersey. The industrial legacy of the river needed to be reversed. This has been achieved through regulation and action. The inclusion of fish passes, for example, enable the salmon to get further up the river to spawn where previously they would not have been able to.

Fishmongers, who are used to getting their fish from other parts of the country, are suprised at the return of the salmon. However, some say they wouldn’t sell fish from the Mersey because customers could be reluctant to buy.

Local fishmonger Barry of Shrigley
and Son, Mossley Hill, said: “Even
though the salmon are back in the
River Mersey people may be worried
about buying and eating it, as it has
been known as one of the dirtiest
rivers in the UK.

“My customers ask me where I get
my fish from and in most cases it’s
from Scotland and Welsh rivers. If I
told them it was from the River Mersey
I do think some wouldn’t
want to buy even though the fish from
the Mersey is more than safe to eat.
I will stick to the Scottish and
Welsh Salmon.”

It is also good news for anglers as they are allowed to keep the salmon that they catch. However, salmon fishing with a rod is prohibited from November 1st to January 31st.

Fisherman Peter Richards said: “I have been fishing in the River Mersey for almost 25 years. It’s an important hobby for me. I have caught all kinds of different and interesting fish but I never thought I would see the day when I could catch a salmon in this river. Now it’s a possibility, but whether I actually do or not is a different story.”

When asked about the future plans and funding issues, Marianne Webb added: “We are pushing to improve the quality of all water courses. We are working with people like United Utilities to ensure that these improvements continue and that plans are in place. We recently published the draft river basin management plan for the North West, which shows what we are looking to achieve in general. The final plans should be published in December.”