Reconnecting the Salmon Rivers of Wales

Habitat fragmentation caused by instream barriers is a leading cause of loss of river biodiversity and is responsible for the decline of Atlantic salmon and other migratory fish in Wales, and elsewhere. The situation of Atlantic salmon in Wales is critical and all populations have been declared ‘at at risk’ or ‘probably at risk” by Natural Resources Wales. Our recent assessments indicate that this is in part due to the high extent of habitat fragmentation. Funded through the Nature Networks Fund, a Welsh Government fund developed in partnership with Natural Resources Wales, administered by the Trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) on behalf of Welsh Government, the Reconnecting the Salmon Rivers of Wales project seeks to address the issues of river fragmentation through the targeted removal of instream barriers in five iconic Welsh salmon rivers.