Wild animal returns to UK city centre for first time in 200 years

A wild animal has returned to a UK city centre for the first time in more than 200 years.

Wild born Atlantic salmon have been found in the River Don in Sheffield city centre for the first time since the 18th century, according to river experts in the area.

The fish were wiped out due to pollution and man-made barriers installed in the river, but 25 years ago, fish passes were installed in the Don to reconnect the river and to try to encourage salmon to return.

Although adult salmon had been seen swimming upstream in the river, nobody knew if they were managing to actually spawn in the water. The Don Catchment Rivers Trust (DCRT) says it has now confirmed the discovery of a wild-born Atlantic salmon in the river and 'the first evidence of successful spawning since salmon were wiped out by pollution and manmade barriers in the 18th and 19th centuries', which is an example for the whole of the UK in how to rewild lost species.

It said: "Salmon need clean, well-oxygenated water and just the right kind of gravel to lay their eggs. The appearance of this young fish shows that the river is now good enough for salmon to complete their full life cycle - something that hasn't happened here in generations.

"The journey to this point began over 35 years ago. Chris Firth MBE, co-founder and trustee of DCRT, witnessed the first signs of recovery when salmon returned to Doncaster's centre after water quality started improving.

"The Don used to be ecologically dead - full of pollution and blocked by concrete. Things began to change with the Crimpsall rock ramp in Doncaster, and later, the Masbrough fish pass in Rotherham, which opened in 2020. That final link joined up a whole chain of fish passes built through partnership between charities, government and private organisations.

"But there's still more to do. If young salmon born in the Don are to return in future years to spawn, they must be able to migrate safely downstream to the sea. This part of their journey is often forgotten. Juvenile salmon - called smolts - struggle to pass over shallow-topped weirs, making them easy targets for predators like herons and otters. One key next step is to cut deeper "notches" into weirs, creating safer routes to the sea."

A spokesperson from the Great Yorkshire Rivers Partnership said: "This is incredible news and is testament to the many years of hard work with partners to address the barriers on this catchment. It shows that our ambitious plan to address all artificial barriers by 2043 to allow free passage for fish, such as the iconic salmon, is going to have a huge benefit to the rivers of Yorkshire."