Young Atlantic salmon seen in three English rivers for first time in a decade

Atlantic salmon were declared critically endangered in Britain in 2023. Photograph: Egil Korsnes/Alamy

Young Atlantic salmon have been seen in three rivers in north-west England for the first time since 2015, marking a “significant environmental turnaround”.

The salmon species was declared critically endangered in Britain in 2023 but fish have been spotted in the Mersey, Bollin and Goyt rivers, meaning they have successfully travelled from the Arctic Circle to spawn.