£365,000 plan to help fish breed in River Don

It is hoped that the new fish pass will increase the numbers of fish along that length of river, reducing the need for restocking and also helping other animals – such as otters – that eat fish.

Work on the 27-metre pass, which will also include a resting area for the fish, will begin next week. The 365,000 scheme is being carried out by the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water and Sheffield Council.

Neil Trudgill, a fisheries specialist with the Environment Agency, said: "At the moment, our fisheries teams carry out a lot of fish restocking in the region's streams and rivers, but of course there's a cost associated with that.

"We want to move away from this practice, and the best way we can do this is by having a more sustainable fish population which is able to reach suitable spawning grounds.

"Fish passes are key to this. The Don is good for dace, trout and grayling in this stretch."

The area around the weir was affected during the floods of summer 2007, and Environment Agency staff have since cleared out debris and branches.

A spokesman for the agency added: "The work is also being carried out because, under European legislation, the UK's rivers need to get back to good ecological status and we need to make our fisheries sustainable.

"The water quality of the Don has improved greatly over the past few decades, but fish are hindered by weirs on the river which block their movement."

Work has also ended recently on a similar scheme in Sheffield's Millhouses Park.

A new "fish ladder" allows fish to swim up the River Sheaf past the park. Their passage had previously been blocked by two weirs.