Gravel restoration scheme shows early gains for salmon on River Teign.
A long-running river restoration scheme on the River Teign in Devon, England is showing signs of improved habitat use by Atlantic salmon, following more than a decade of gravel augmentation work downstream of Fernworthy Reservoir.
More than 1,000 tonnes of gravel has been added to the river since 2015 as part of an 11-year project led by South West Water in partnership with the Westcountry Rivers Trust. The work aims to restore spawning grounds that were degraded following the construction of the reservoir, which altered natural sediment flows.
Olivia Cresswell, head of fisheries and ecology at the Westcountry Rivers Trust, said dams and reservoirs reduce the downstream supply of gravel and stones needed for spawning.
“We’ve brought the habitat back to something very close to pre-reservoir conditions,” she said, adding that salmon and trout species were “already utilising these habitats”, with fish recorded moving further upstream than previously observed.
South West Water said it relies heavily on surface water sources such as rivers to meet demand in Devon and Cornwall, making reservoirs “critical for maintaining year-round supply”. However, it acknowledged that the Fernworthy structure interrupts water and sediment movement, limiting access to historic spawning areas.
Ms Cresswell described the work as “effectively rebuilding the riverbed” through targeted gravel placement.
Dr Georgina Samoluk, fisheries and biodiversity adviser at South West Water, said the intervention was necessary given the wider condition of salmon stocks in the region.
“None of the 16 principal salmon rivers in Devon and Cornwall currently support sustainable salmon populations,” she said. “Every step we take is important. Managing flows and protecting the fragile ecosystems that salmon rely on are at the heart of our work.”
The project has also attracted criticism from campaigners. Dr Janina Gray, deputy chief executive of conservation group Wildfish, described the scheme as “a sticking plaster”.
“Fundamentally, we need to see urgent action to reduce water pollution and that’s predominantly from sewage from water companies,” she said.
