There’s no doubt now that all the hard work carried out to improve breeding habitat is starting to bear fruit in the form of more native born brown trout in the river. Reported catches of small trout are on the increase and the sight of a diminutive brownie hanging in the current is becoming much more common.
It really is heartening to see these little trout. Against incredibly high odds they have hatched, survived and grown on into beautifully marked fish.
The only cause for concern is of course the issue of predation. These fish are going to have to work extremely hard to escape the relentless attentions of cormorants and herons. Don’t forget to give them a fighting chance by reporting your sightings of fish-eating birds on the Cormorant Watch website.