Anglers in the North East are helping to monitor the fish populations in one of the country’s most important rivers.
Fishing enthusiasts have helped to provide vital information to the Environment Agency about salmon and sea trout stocks in the River Tyne by collecting scales for examination.
Under magnification, marks on the scales can be read – in a similar way to rings on a tree trunk – to show stages in the fish’s life cycle, its age in winters, and how long it has spent in the sea and freshwater.
With the new season about to start next month, anglers are again being invited to join the efforts to monitor the wellbeing of the fish returning to the Tyne to spawn. This Angler Scale Reading Programme is expected to continue for the duration of construction of the second Tyne Crossing.
“Anglers are giving us invaluable support in our work to monitor the salmon and sea trout stocks in the Tyne,â€
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