]> 2026-04-22T01:36:04+00:00 Case study:Salmon to Sheffield 500 en Draft Don Catchment Rivers Trust Yes Yes Yes 53.43045,-1.35885 DCRT Matthew Don Catchment Rivers Trust Duffy ,, ,,, Monitoring and evaluation support the project through targeted electrofishing surveys and wider ecological monitoring. As the programme moves from delivery to optimisation, the installation of fish counters represents a key next step, providing robust, quantitative evidence of fish passage effectiveness and demonstrating restored connectivity at a catchment scale. This enhanced monitoring will help secure the long-term legacy of the project and inform best practice for migratory fish restoration elsewhere. 28821 Complete The River Don suffered severe industrial pollution throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and was considered ecologically dead until the late 1980s. Improvements in water quality, combined with fish reintroductions and restocking, led to the recovery of resident fish populations and the return of Atlantic salmon to the lower catchment in the mid-1990s. Despite this recovery, migratory species remained unable to access their historic spawning grounds in the upper Don due to a succession of man-made barriers. Restoring longitudinal connectivity has therefore been a long-term ambition for partners working across the catchment. The first major barrier to migration, Crimpsall Sluice at Doncaster, was addressed through construction of a rock ramp, enabling salmon and other migratory fish to bypass the structure. Over the following 20 years, and working predominantly from downstream to upstream, a further 16 barriers were progressively eased. These interventions were primarily delivered through the installation of Larinier fish passes, a proven and effective solution for the steep, low-head weirs characteristic of the River Don. Delivery of this catchment-scale programme relied on a combination of legislative drivers linked to riparian and hydropower developments, charitable grant funding secured by the Don Catchment Rivers Trust (DCRT), and contributions from organisations such as Yorkshire Water in support of their sustainability objectives. This partnership approach enabled long-standing barriers to be addressed and ensured steady progress towards restoring full river connectivity. The success of this work became clear in 2019 with the recording of a hen Atlantic salmon downstream of Sheffield city centre at Salmon Pastures. Subsequent sightings and carcass records led to targeted surveys to assess spawning success. In 2025, these efforts culminated in the discovery of a salmon parr by a DCRT survey team—the first confirmed evidence of successful salmon reproduction in the River Don for over 200 years. Salmon to Sheffield salmon to sheffield Environmental flows and water resources Fisheries Habitat and biodiversity Hydromorphology Urban 2026-02-19T11:43:02Z 2461090.9882176 2026-02-25T14:22:43Z 2461097.0991088 Salmon to Sheffield 500 1 list 3 [[Category:Case study]] [[Parent project::Case study:Salmon to Sheffield]] Salmon to Sheffield# QUERY1cf92e18f1aa635416977a4409b195dd