FIVE years into its work The Wye Foundation, the charitable trust formed to improve the habitat of the river to help stem the decline in salmon numbers, has positive news to report.
Director Dr Stephen Marsh-Smith said: "For the first time we have confirmation of increase sin spawning activity throughout the total available area of the Wye and in certain streams, such as the Clettwr, salmon have been found in much improved numbers.
"The most positive aspect is the high density of fish found in those spawning streams that we have cleared over the past five years. Our work teams have removed more than 500 blockages and some of the spawning streams now have salmon activity for the first time in more than 20 years. This, in turn, is excellent news for the trout and all other river life."
The "wonderful news" is the increase in the number of adult salmon returning to the Wye and recorded on the Environment Agency's fish counter at Redbrook, near the mouth of the river.
Dr Marsh-Smith said: "The figure for 2000 is more than 9400 salmon which is the highest since the counter was commissioned.
"This rise is the result of a number of factors. The buy-out of the commercial net-fishing operations in the estuary last year was a joint venture between the Wye Foundation, the United Usk Fisheries, the Wye Salmon Fishery Owners' Association and the North Atlantic Salmon Fund.
"Our estimation is that, in a full season, more than 3,000 mature salmon, including multi sea wintered spring fish, will return as a direct result of the removal of netting."
Dr Marsh-Smith also believes that in 2001 the fish spawning as a direct result of the habitat improvement programme will be a further contributor to the rise in numbers.
"But," he warns, "it is far too early to be complacent. The Wye still suffers from one of the lowest spawning rates in the UK. The catch and release bye-laws need full support otherwise all the work we are undertaking will be at risk."
The Foundation has two teams working in the field helping to improve the habitat for spawning salmon and brown trout. They work on key spawning tributaries of the main river advising farmers and land-owners on fencing-off stream banks from cattle and coppicing bank-side trees.