Salmon project on Dales river takes big leap forward

The 74-mile River Ure in North Yorkshire was once seen as one of the finest in the country for salmon fishing, but pollution caused by the Industrial Revolution wiped out most of the fish.

Last year, three landowners in the Yorkshire Dales – supported by the Masham-based brewery, T&R Theakston – formed the Ure Salmon Trust to rival some of the UK’s best salmon waterways, such as the River Teith in Scotland.

The trust, which has been working with the Environment Agency, has won recognition for its six-year scheme from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Now it has been announced it has secured £81,000 from the Yorkshire Dales Leader Programme, over the next two years.

The money will help support the post of a river manager, and extensive habitat development work along the Ure and its tributaries.

Ure Salmon Trust member Richard Bourne-Arton said: “This is wonderful news and means that we are now in a position to really press ahead with our aims, which is to boost the number of wild salmon returning annually to the Ure to spawn.”