Interview with Matt Duffy, fishery habitat officer

What can we see at Meadowhall now?

As you walk along the covered pedestrian bridge between Meadowhall shopping centre and the transport interchange you’ll be able to see some vinyl stickers on the windows which explain a bit about how salmon are recolonising our catchment, how to identify them and what you can do to help if you spot one.

How did the idea come about?

I’ve always liked the unique view it gives of the river as you pass over the bridge here, there’s no other place on the Don I can think of that’s like it. Last year I’d seen a number of adult salmon that had returned from the sea to spawn in their natural breeding grounds in Sheffield and thought that with the amount of footfall that comes over the walkway it would be the perfect place to tell people the salmon story and to see whether we could get some more records for our ‘salmon recorder’ – an online form where anyone can submit suspected salmon sightings to. I proposed the idea to SYMCA (South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority) and they kindly offered to design, print and instal the vinyl stickers that are now on public display here.

Why do DCRT need help spotting salmon?

We like to get the message out about the return of salmon to River Don as many people are often surprised to hear that we have a nascent population of salmon in our catchment. After being absent for 200-years, we are now starting to see signs of them returning. This is due to the steady improvements that have been made in fish passage over weirs and better water quality.

How can people get involved?

So many people use the interchange every day, often to travel to Meadowhall from surrounding areas. With the distinct view that this walkway gives, it is hoped that on reading the information people will really be able to imagine a 70cm (4.5kg) salmon swimming up through the River Don to complete its lifecycle. If anyone spots a salmon and submits their sighting, it gives us a better idea of how well the fish passes have worked to bring them back to the Don catchment.

Why is SYMCA supporting this?

SYMCA Director of Public Transport Operations, Tim Taylor said –

 “Being able to support the Don Catchment Rivers Trust salmon count effort is a great opportunity to raise awareness about local wildlife in the river with our customers.  Everyone knows that you can come to Meadowhall Interchange to catch your bus, tram or train, but people are now learning that the pedestrian bridge that links the station to the shopping centre also offers a unique spot to observe the River Don and its wildlife. Next time you visit, look out for the salmon stickers on the bridge and play a game of ‘Spot the Salmon’.”