We have been working with the Ribble Rivers trust and Environment Agency in the recovery of tags from Spawning Salmon in the River Ribble.

2012 will herald a first for the Ribble and the Rivers Trust.  For a number of years the idea of having our very own fish tagging scheme had reverberated without getting off the ground.  Owing to the invention of our trustee Dave Wilmot, we will be undertaking a tracking of spring salmon on their upward migration of the River Ribble.  Anecdotally, ‘springers’ are known for their limited run upriver although this was not always the case.  Since an outbreak of the fish disease UDN (Ulcerative Dermal Necrosis) depleted stocks nationwide mid last century, the Ribble retained a small steadfast run after healthy numbers had been previously reported during the 1940s (Houghton, 1942).  Now we wish to learn more about these fish so that we may propagate their numbers, and with very restricted funds to do so, it is crucial that this is done through specifically targeted habitat improvements which we are certain will yield results. To achieve this will require greater understanding of their migratory routes and spawning locations to be most effective. this will then tie into our various improvement projects on the catchment such as the Catchment Restoration Fund projects (http://www.ribbletrust.org.uk/projects/diffusing-the-issue/, http://www.ribbletrust.org.uk/projects/limestone-ribble/ and http://www.ribbletrust.org.uk/projects/colne-water/), and keeping rivers cool as well as feeding information into the Ribble Life Project. This will require our greater understanding of their migratory routes and spawning locations to be most effective.

Whilst this is our primary goal, the activity will provide a unique opportunity to monitor levels of angling effort on our targeted fish.  Each salmon containing a transponder will be marked externally with a tag to reveal them to any angler who captures it.  As always we are reliant on your support and for anglers to notify us of their captures.  We strongly appeal to anglers to return these fish too, because this will help to prolong the study.  Over the longer term we hope to give springers the best chance of successfully spawning in the Ribble Catchment.  To do this will also require an accurate knowledge of the levels of angling effort upon this stock and inform our local clubs.

A project team was assembled in November 2011 comprising of our partners and sponsors within the Environment Agency and the Ribble Fisheries Consultative Association. This team is now driving the project forwards.