THE Environment Agency says a drop in salmon and sea trout numbers at a location on the River Tees where they are counted is no cause for alarm.
A ‘fish counter’ at the Tees Barrage, near Stockton, calculates how many fish are swimming upstream.
Numbers have declined from a peak in 2012 of 1,661 to 297 last year, figures show.
A spokeswoman said: “We’ve worked closely with the Canal and Rivers Trust to improve fish passage at the barrage.
“Fish now have more opportunities to pass upstream via routes where they are not counted, rather than through the single fish pass with a fish counter.
“The opportunities to use these different routes has increased by changing the way the barrage operates so that fish can pass over the gates more frequently for longer periods of time.”
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