UNLESS they enjoy fishing, I doubt many motorists on the AI give the brown slick of tidal water stretching west from the bridge separating Gateshead from Newcastle upon Tyne a second glance. The river is a much grander sight a mile downstream where the parabolic arch of the famous Tyne bridge - built in 1928 - spans waters that have always been synonymous with a great northern city, epitomised by Lindisfarne's 1971 hit single Fog on the Tyne. The image of fog is redolent of the shipbuilding and heavy engineering that brought prosperity to Newcastle during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, but this progress marked the beginning of the end for the Tyne's migratory fish. By 1959 the situation was so dire that salmon were prevented in their entirety from accessing hereditary spawning grounds by an insurmountable barrier of filth, and not one was caught that year.
Since that lamentable nadir, the Tyne's gradual return to past glories is a gripping story of revival and restoration that began with the improvement of estuary water quality through substantial investment by water companies and government. The flooding of the North Tyne's headwaters and miles of valuable spawning burns to form Europe's largest artificial lake in 1981 could have set progress back to the 1950s - only it didn't, thanks in no small part to Peter Gray, who was the grandson of a Tweed boatman. Under Gray's direction the salmon hatchery established at Kielder Water to compensate for the catastrophic loss of habitat flourished to such an extent that when he retired in 2005 the annual rod catch stood at more than 4,000 salmon, and the Tyne's phoenix-like rise from the ashes was complete. Gray's illuminating story Swimming Against the Tide: Restoring Salmon to the Tyne was published in 2011, and the hatchery he founded continues to return many thousands of fry to the system each year.
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av The Field.
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Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av The Field.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Helping hot dogs chill out
From cool coats to clippers, there are a whole host of ways to keep your canine companion comfortable as the summer heat intensifies, says David Tomlinson
Art in the field
Sculpting his wild subjects from life, Fred Gordon is breaking new ground in bronze, says Janet Menzies
How to canapé
A summer celebration is nothing without these tiny works of art. Devised by the country's best canapé cooks, they are just the thing to make your party swing
Ginger-beer childhoods
Summer holidays filled with outdoor adventures are the perfect way to foster a love of the countryside and a lifetime enthusiasm for the field
Glamour, intelligence and drive as standard
Retrieving birds with pace, energy and undeniable elan, these sporting poodles are winning over even traditional gundog breed enthusiasts
The cycle begins
Though it may lie forgotten for much of the year, the kennel bicycle is indispensable in summer when hound exercise gets under way
Turning the tide on the Tyne
The industrial age brought prosperity to Newcastle but at great cost to the Tyne and its salmon. Today its waters are a haven for fish and anglers alike
En garde: a guide to fencing
Not just a clash of swords and some fancy footwork, this ancient sport is an art form that demands agility, discipline and control
Who was Baron Pierre de Coubertin?
It was a diminutive, 19th-century French aristocrat, Baron Pierre de Coubertin (pictured, left), who came up with the idea of reviving the Olympic Games while studying in Paris. He was a sporting sort himself, and had also long despaired of what he perceived as French degeneracy; his country had been humiliated by the loss of the Franco-Prussian War and he attributed this to his countrymen's lack of moral fibre.
A gold-medal guide to Olympic shooting
Everything you need to know, from history, disciplines, rules and regulations to the British sportsmen and women striving for glory
