They may have travelled from as far away as Greenland to their historic spawning areas in the Taff valley, but the salmon faced one of their greatest challenges just as they reached journey’s end.
The epic voyage for some salmon concludes in the upper reaches of the Nant Clydach which meanders through Assembly Government-owned Llanwynno woodland near Abercynon.
But it is here that the salmon’s cycle of life faced being thwarted – in the shape of old weirs and other barriers.
Wooden and concrete beams and metal girders left in the river – a reminder of the area’s past as a manufacturing powerhouse – prevented the fish getting a clear run to their spawning grounds.
But one of nature’s most mesmerising sights has been safeguarded in the Clydach after Forestry Commission Wales joined forces with South East Wales Rivers Trust and Environment Agency Wales to remove the obstacles from the salmon’s way.
The organisations got together to remove one weir, modify another and protect the riverbank in two places to enable the salmon and native brown trout to migrate upstream and safely reach their spawning grounds.
Tony Rees, of the South East Wales Rivers Trust, said the fish might have to spawn in the main river if the obstacles had not been moved, but this was not desirable for all the fish.
“This is not a satisfactory solution as redds – the area where salmon deposit their eggs – can be washed out in the high volumes of water that come with winter floods,” he said.
“This work is a low cost alternative to constructing fish passes and artificial stocking.
“Nursery streams like the Clydach, although they have high water, are not as destructive as the main river. They also support the young fish better and offer better protection from predators.”
Forestry Commission Wales local area manager Karl Charlton said woodlands provided essential wildlife habitats for many endangered species and the work carried out in the Clydach would have benefits for other animals, too.
“There are clear benefits for biodiversity,” he said:
“These obstacles cause build-up of debris in the river, forcing water out and thereby hastening erosion of streamsides and possibly increasing siltation, which are not ideal conditions for spawning.”
Salmon normally spawn from sometime in November until December and will have negotiated the barrage at Cardiff Bay and travelled up the Taff from their feeding grounds before their run up the Clydach.
Michael Clyde of Environment Agency Wales said this work would help Wales reach its commitments under the Water Framework Directive.
“This is one part of a much bigger picture to improve fish populations in the industrialised valleys of South Wales,” he said.
“We will continue to work in partnership with the South East Wales Rivers Trust, Forestry Commission Wales and others to help improve fish populations.”
The work was funded by the Cardiff Harbour Authority under a programme of improvement works related to the Cardiff Bay barrage.
Cardiff council’s Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nigel Howells, said, “I am glad the Harbour Authority was able to provide funding for this work. It’s a great example of partnership working to help improve the environment.”
