Shrewsbury's leaping salmon perform for photographers

Hatched in the gravel of a freshwater river, a salmon journeys thousands of miles out to the ocean to bulk up before returning to its birthplace to breed and begin the cycle again

Photographers have been standing on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury to capture images of migrating salmon leaping over the town's weir.

The annual salmon migration from the icy Atlantic back to the warmer Severn is under way, with local residents watching the fish leap into the air.

The salmon have to navigate a weir on the journey. It was built in Shrewsbury in 1909 to keep the water level at the right height for pleasure boating on the river, which loops around Shropshire's county town.

While the weir does have a fish pass, it can be difficult for salmon to reach, making leaps an alternative way to get around

Earlier this year, the Environment Agency (EA) revealed wild Atlantic salmon stocks in England and Wales were at their lowest levels on record and reaching crisis point

Many factors such as climate change and overfishing are impacting salmon numbers globally, the EA says

In the latest EA survey, 74% of salmon rivers are thought to be "at risk" - meaning salmon numbers are not at sustainable levels

Amateur wildlife photographer Mark Underwood struck lucky with photos on his second visit on Monday.

"I went down at 6:30am and stood watching for an hour and a half and saw no leaping salmon," he said.

"I went back at 3:30pm and over the hour I was fortunate to see a salmon leap about every 15 minutes.

"I was over the moon with the shots. It was the first time I had visited the weir to do this and will certainly be going back again in future years."

Only one river in England, the River Tyne, is in the 'not at risk" category for salmon levels

The EA has called for tougher fines and prison sentences for those responsible for serious and deliberate river pollution

Giant specimens can reach more than a metre in length, and even an average-sized adult can weigh more than 5kg

Fellow photographer Francis Crozier said: "I saw about 10 within an hour on Tuesday, but I know plenty of others who have watched for longer and seen nothing.

"It seems fairly random, but certainly I saw more on Tuesday than in previous years."

The salmon images were shared on the For The Love Of Shrewsbury Facebook page.

Busy waterways such as the Seine in Paris and the Rhine, which passes through 17 major European cities, have seen the return of salmon after water quality improvements

Romans called the salmon "the leaper", referring to its athletic ability to leap obstacles as it navigates from the sea back to its spawning grounds

The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain. It rises in mid-Wales and travels through Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester before flowing to the Bristol Channel

Chris Bainger, the Environment Agency's fisheries technical specialist for the Severn, remains keen for a second fish pass to be built at the weir to help the salmon, but admitted that could cost up to £1m.

"The current fish pass for all species on the right bank is sufficient for most fish, such as the shad when they return, but is difficult for salmon to find under certain flow conditions," he said.