With all the stories of gloom and dispair surrounding the state of our rivers it is pleasing to be able to report some good news for a change.

The River Ouse is now clean enough for hundreds of salmon to have made their way upstream to spawn and local industry played an important role in the environmental improvement.

Last week's meeting of the Yorkshire and Humberside Area Environmental Group heard how local industries have been collaborating with the Environment Agency to clean up the tidal section of the Ouse in the Selby area.

At one time, the river supported a commercial fishery industry with 90 netting stations in the Selby area. Fish numbers have declined since the 1940s as industry and associated pollution increased along the Ouse and Humber.

However, there were occasions when because of the poor quality industrial effluents being discharged into the river the water could carry no oxygen and it was impossible for fish to survive.

No salmon or sea trout could get through such poor quality water to reach the cleaner spawning waters in the Wharfe and Ure upstream.

In recent years the Environment Agency has worked hard with local industry to reduce pollution in the river.

European legislation requiring higher quality effluent standards at Yorkshire Waters' sewage treatment plants has also played a major part in the success story.

So much so that last November, literally hundreds of salmon could be seen leaping Tadcaster and Naburn weirs on their way to winter spawning streams.

Scientists from York University, commissioned by local industries and backed by the Agency, have studied and analysed possible ways forward.

Much has already been achieved as salmon are good indicators of water quality.

Although most anglers would rather catch a humble roach than the 'King of Fish' it is good news all-round as the improved water quality should benefit all the river's inhabitants.

There are already rumours of anglers catching barbel and carp well downstream of the tidal limits of the Ouse and Wharfe.

This year saw a good run of salmon through the tidal section to the Rivers Ure and Wharfe.

While numbers are gradually increasing, there is still a long way to go until the tidal Ouse once again has the numbers of salmon it once had.

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