Return of endangered twaite shad to spawning grounds celebrated

Twaite shad is a type of herring that migrates from the sea into freshwater to spawn each year

The return of an endangered fish to its spawning grounds on the River Severn will be celebrated at an underwater viewing gallery.

The Canal and River Trust's Unlocking the Severn project has seen four fish passes created to help twaite shad migrate upstream.

It also saw the creation of an the underwater gallery in Worcester.

Numbers of twaite shad in the Seven declined from the 19th Century as weirs were built on the river.

The Environment Agency started research into their movements in 2017, and in 2022 it was able to confirm they had returned to their ancient spawning grounds with the help of DNA monitoring.

The viewing window at Diglis fish pass, Worcester has attracted many visitors since it opened

Unlocking the Severn, which is also supported by the Severn Rivers Trust, Environment Agency and Natural England, said the fish were sometimes known as the May Fish because they choose that month to migrate to freshwater.

For that reason it has chosen 1 May to allow limited numbers of visitors into the Diglis viewing gallery, which was built next to one of the fish passes.

It contains a 2.5-wide window and cameras which record footage of the fish swimming through the pass.