Sheffield steel sculpture celebrates salmon's return to River Don

The sculpture was made by Wakefield scrap metal artist Jason Heppenstall

A 7ft (2.1m) steel salmon sculpture has been made to mark the return of the fish to Sheffield's rivers for the first time in 200 years.

The leaping fish, by artist Jason Heppenstall, was made from 1,500 spoons and other old steel from the city.

It celebrates the return of Atlantic salmon after a long-term project to clean up the River Don so they can freely swim up from the North Sea.

The sculpture was unveiled outside Sheffield railway station.

Wakefield-based scrap metal artist Mr Heppenstall used sheet steel, medical steel, cutlery, 1,533 spoons, tools and 1960s lamps to create the metal fish.

"It was a great sculpture to be asked to create," he said.

"There's a wonderful story behind it and I hope I've done everybody proud."

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Masbrough Weir was the last of 18 obstructions along the River Don that have been made passable

Dr Deborah Dawson, from the University of Sheffield, which commissioned the sculpture for its Festival of the Mind 2020, said it represented the many industries located along the river.

"These industries historically polluted the river and were powered by weirs which still block fish migration routes today," she said.

"The sculpture also represents the steely determination of salmon in their attempts to reach their spawning grounds."

The salmon's return to Sheffield was a 20-year project by the Environment Agency, Don Catchment Rivers Trust, Canal and River Trust, Yorkshire Water and local authorities.

In June in June, a fish pass was created at Masbrough Weir in Rotherham.

In 2019 an adult salmon was spotted in the river in Sheffield, possibly on its way to spawn in the city centre.

Festival of the Mind brings together university academics with people from the city's cultural, creative and digital industries and will mostly be held online from 17-27 September.

However a real-life exhibition will also be held at Sheffield's Millennium Gallery, while people can see the fish sculpture in 3D on the festival website from Thursday.

An illustrated riverside walking trail and a podcast about how Sheffield's history shaped the river is also available.