NEWS RELEASE

The Salmon & Trout Association (S&TA) and Atlantic Salmon Trust (AST) welcome the Government’s announcement that there is currently no strategic case for a tidal power scheme for the Severn Estuary.  The Government has cited the enormous cost of such a scheme, alongside its likely environmental impact, as the main reasons for shelving it.

In their joint response to the consultation process, the AST and the S&TA highlighted the threat that a tidal barrage posed to Atlantic salmon and other migratory fish. This is borne out by the Government’s feasibility study, which predicts that a tidal barrage would cause affected salmon stocks to collapse, with the likely extinction of some local populations. As we have made clear, neither organisation is opposed to the sustainable use of tidal power to generate green energy, but this must not be at the expense of wildlife or its habitats.

By waiting a little longer for the results of rapidly improving tidal power technology, we believe that the energy afforded by the second largest tidal range in the world will allow significant power generation from the Severn Estuary in future, with minimal impact on the environment or its dependent species.  In particular, there should be no need to construct a barrage across the entire estuary, with its attendant issues of blocking migration routes for salmon and several other species.

Ivor Llewelyn, Deputy Director of the Atlantic Salmon Trust, said, “’The feasibility study has confirmed what we have been saying all along – that a barrage across the Severn estuary would be very damaging for salmon, which could have faced extinction in the Wye and the Usk, as well as in the Severn itself. We are very pleased that the Government has listened to us and to all the other environmental organisations that have been working to safeguard this unique ecosystem.’

S&TA’s Chief Executive, Paul Knight, said, “We are delighted that the Government has seen sense over this issue.  The impact on fish, birds and their habitats would have been catastrophic if a full tidal barrage had been constructed, and therefore the energy generated could never have been described as ‘green’.  We now look forward to proposals which will harness the Severn’s power, while safeguarding all its wildlife for future generations.”

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