Community to restore Hodder salmon

Ribble Rivers Trust has launched an ambitious programme to restore salmon to the River Hodder in Lancashire backed by a new national conservation award.

The project, Hodder Together for Salmon, was selected as the inaugural winner of The Orri – a community-based salmon conservation award from the North Atlantic Salmon Fund UK, named in honour of its internationally respected founder, Orri Vigfússon. The award carries a £10,000 grant to kick-start the work.

The Hodder, which winds for 23 miles through the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty before joining the River Ribble at Great Mitton near Whalley, has long been a stronghold for salmon, with generations of fish returning each year to spawn. Decades of pollution, habitat loss and climate pressures have, however, led to a worrying decline in numbers.

The project will deliver practical, on-the-ground solutions to restore the river’s health, including improving habitats for young fish, restoring spawning gravels and tackling pollution at its source. Alongside this, it will reconnect people with the river through education, citizen science and volunteering opportunities. Practical work is due to begin in late spring 2026, with measures to slow water flow and create vital spawning habitat.

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to raise £20,000, with every donation match-funded by the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, doubling the impact of public contributions.

Jack Spees, chief executive of Ribble Rivers Trust, said: “The River Hodder is an incredibly special place, but it’s under real pressure. Salmon are a symbol of healthy rivers and their decline shows us that action is needed. The encouraging news is that recovery is possible, and this project is about bringing people together to make that happen.”

Robert Sloss, chairman of NASF UK, said community-led initiatives of this kind produce results quickly, with improvements in salmon redds and returning adult fish visible in a short time.