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.
Bu hikaye The Field dergisinin June 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Field dergisinin June 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
A sweet-pea Summer
Sweet peas are enjoying an Instagram moment’ but to appreciate fully these charming flowers one must hasten back to the real world, says Ursula Buchan
Top sporting stays
Effortlessly smart and with superb shooting and fishing on the doorstep, these British hotels are the perfect base for fieldsports enthusiasts, says Madeleine Silver
Tradition with a twist
Showcasing the finest British produce from honey, beer and butter to game and venison, this month’s trio of dishes truly encapsulate the taste of Britain, says Philippa Davis
Daylesford
Organic farming at its finest
The best of British breeds
When it comes to developing and establishing the world’s most popular gundog breeds, Britain has a lot to be proud of, says David Tomlinson
Ping and you're winning
An email alert for burgonets coming to auction draws Roger Field’s attention to a promising lot. Meanwhile, a sale from novelist John le Carré’s estate temporarily raises an eyebrow
Saving the queen of flowers
Trailing clouds of glory into your garden, historic roses are as vital a part of British heritage as a Gainsborough painting and must be preserved
Long live the sporting pub
Not just a place to drink, the right kind of country pub is a beacon for fieldsports enthusiasts. The Star Inn in Harome is one such spot
The sole survivors
An increasingly casual attitude to what we wear has given rise to the so-called dress sneaker’ but proper gentlemen's shoes will never go out of fashion
A win in the willow
The cricket bat industry is steeped in tradition yet must move with the times to meet demand, opening a lucrative door for landowners in the process