I suppose I should have realised that a bank holiday weekend here in the Dales could not pass without a daily shower or two of rain.  The promising conditions at nightfall yesterday had turned decidedly damper and draughtier by this morning.  Its cleared a little now and we have some sunny breaks to bring a touch of warmth to the valley, swell the buds and make the lambs leap about.

Just as I finished the blog yesterday an email arrived from the Secretary of the Ribble Fisheries Consultative with some very interesting news about an Atlantic salmon conservation study.  It seems that the University of Southampton are conducting a long term study to try to map the feeding grounds of Salmo salar and relate the fish feeding at these grounds to their home rivers.  The method they are adopting to identify where fish feed at sea is to study scales.  Here is where you can help.  Details will be on the club's private website but all that's needed is the careful removal of a couple of scales from the shoulder of any fish caught this season.  These can be sent to the study group for analysis. 

Apparently each scale holds chemical clues to the feeding ground frequented by the fish and over time it should prove possible to draw up a map showing which Atlantic feeding grounds are frequented by fish from each of our British salmon rivers.  This work will contribute enormously to our understanding of salmon migration and help to influence international salmon conservation work.

Whilst on the subject of fish scales, if any member catches what they believe to be a sea trout this season I would welcome a couple of scales if these can be obtained without harm to the fish.  These scales can tell us much about the life cycle of our migratory trout and I have the means (if not necessarily a fully developed skill) to read them.

Happy Easter

Ian