Millions of years in the making
The Field|June 2024
The story of England’s chalkstreams stretches back to before the dinosaurs.” Now one of the iconic denizens of this rare habitat is on the brink of extinction Fe
Charles Rangeley Wilson
Millions of years in the making

IN DECEMBER last year the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) revised its red list of endangered species and reclassified Atlantic salmon to a status of ‘near threatened’.

British salmon were rated more seriously as ‘endangered’. There should have been one more reclassification, however. Had British chalkstream salmon been singled out, they would surely have been labelled ‘critically endangered’. Chalkstream salmon are England’s white rhino: approaching extinction after two million years of residence. Last year only 287 adult salmon ascended the River Itchen to spawn, and in 2022 only 133 – far fewer than the lowest number deemed necessary for the survival of the species in that stream.

In 2018 Dr Jamie Stevens and a team of scientists from Exeter University proved that chalkstream salmon are genetically unique. Like the chalkstreams they breed in, they are therefore globally unique. On our watch we are losing one of Britain’s oldest native animals. Chalkstreams will still be around in 50 years but their wonderful native salmon may not. To understand why this would be an irreversible catastrophe, we need to scroll back in geological time to the origins of both chalk and salmon.

Chalk is made of the shell remains of a microscopic single-celled plankton called a coccolithophore. Almost 200 million years ago, as the supercontinent of Pangea began to fragment, sea levels were far higher than today: oceanic basins were shallow, seawater was warm and there was no ice at the poles. The world’s oceans flooded over its land mass.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2024 من The Field.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2024 من The Field.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE FIELD مشاهدة الكل
Fodder
The Field

Fodder

Local fare with the feel-good factor.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
Celebrating the game changers
The Field

Celebrating the game changers

Once served only in the traditional manner, the fruits of our forays now find their way into all manner of diverse and delicious dishes, say Neil and Serena Cross

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
Rory Stewart
The Field

Rory Stewart

The former Cabinet minister and hit podcast host talks to Alec Marsh about the parlous state of British politics, land management and his deep love of the countryside

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024
The first civil engineer
The Field

The first civil engineer

John Smeaton left an indelible mark on the field of engineering and, three centuries after his birth, his legacy remains as strong as ever

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2024
School spirits
The Field

School spirits

From grey ladies and ghostly gardeners to more malign entities, public schools are a rich repository of unnatural phenomena

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2024
'A long way from Piccadilly or Pall Mall'
The Field

'A long way from Piccadilly or Pall Mall'

Marking 150 years since the birth of Sir Winston Churchill, Dr Conor Farrington explores this eminent statesman’s often-overlooked 1907 tour of British East Africa: a journey rich with enchanting natural beauty and sporting adventure

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2024
Top of the pups
The Field

Top of the pups

Canines in all their guises were celebrated at The Field Top Dog Awards lunch at Defender Burghley Horse Trials whether eager on the peg, patient at home or perpetually making mischief

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2024
Angling for success
The Field

Angling for success

It’s never too early to shape up for next season’s salmon and trout, and these top fishing schools are here to help

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2024
Talking scents
The Field

Talking scents

The canine nose is an astonishingly complex piece of biotechnology that man has harnessed for sustenance and sport for thousands of years

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2024
Wall-to-wall excitement
The Field

Wall-to-wall excitement

Criss-crossed by formidable drystone walls, the High Peak Harriers’ scenic country provides a day out with an exhilarating difference

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2024