The return of salmon to spawning grounds in the Leitzaran River is confirmed

Salmon (Salmo salar) have been returning to Oria for several years, to tributaries with huge potential for the species, such as the Leitzaran River. This is excellent news, the result of years of work with several entities. Of note are partners of the LIFE Irekibai project in the Basque Country: the Provincial Council of Guipuzkoa, the Basque Water Agency and HAZI.

These rivers formed part of their reproduction zones, but problems with water quality in Oria and the abundance of obstacles (dams) had prevented them from completing their life cycle on their own until recently. The strategy to revert this situation followed two lines: helping the species to complete its cycle, and eliminating the most relevant obstacles in these rivers.

The Provincial Council of Guipuzkoa was a key player with both of these focuses. It has been capturing salmon in Orbeldi since 1997, close to the mouth of the Oria, bringing them to the Leitzaran. This way, they reproduced, and the new generation actively sought the Leitzaran when they became adults, going back to the river from the sea.

On the other hand, both the Provincial Council of Guipuzkoa, the Basque Water Agency and the Hydrographic Confederation of the Cantabrian have been working for decades to improve the quality of Oria’s water and to remove obstacles. With this latter task, HAZI also collaborated with two European projects: POCTEFA Guratrans and LIFE Irekibai.

Monitoring the latter project shows that there is an increasing presence of salmon in the Leitzaran, and predictions indicate that they will have access in future campaigns to waters higher up the river, by implementing an infrequent device: a fish sluice installed at CH Olaberri.

If you are interested, you can see the latest monitoring report at this link.