THE Wye & Usk Foundation has recorded an increase in salmon numbers in the Elan Valley – resulting in the fish spawning in all parts of the Elan for the first time since records began.

For the first time since at least the 1970s, the whole length of the Elan is now being used by salmon to spawn in.

This year’s electrofishing surveys build on improvements over the past four years to the river’s previously degraded ecology downstream of the Elan dam complex.

In 2016 the foundation, with support from project partners Natural Resources Wales and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, started an initiative to replace lost river gravels in a 7km section of the river. Since then, thousands of tonnes of new gravel has been re-introduced, sourced from various sustainable sites across the Elan and upper Wye catchment.

Although less sites were surveyed this year than the previous two years, salmon fry were found at every location for the first time, including as far upstream as our gravel introduction site just below the lowest dam at Caban Coch). The river, which represents seven per cent of the salmon spawning area of the Wye, is now one of the most important for salmon reproduction in the whole Wye catchment.

In 2016 the average number of salmon fry at each Elan survey site was 1.1. In 2019 this had increased to 11.8 and in 2020, the average is now 20.7.

In addition to salmon fry, trout numbers (fry and adults) have more than doubled since the project started. This year, an eel was found at the introduction site for the first time too.

Despite this exponential increase, the future of the project is by no means assured. Finding source sites is proving more of a challenge with owners unwilling to allow the foundation to take gravel.

One generous owner allowed the foundation to remove around 300 tonnes of gravel from the upper Wye, which they will introduce to the Elan this week. However, to continue or even maintain the improvements in river’s ecology, much more is required.