River Usk fish pass restoration plans highlighted at community drop-in session

People living in Brecon town and the surrounding areas are invited to a public drop-in event to find out more about plans to improve fish passage at Brecon Weir on the River Usk.

The scheme delivered by Natural Resources Wales’s (NRW) Four Rivers for LIFE Project will see a new fish pass for smolts installed on the weir in the summer of 2025.

The new smolt pass will help salmon (and other fish species) to move freely down past the weir out to sea, helping them on their downstream migration journey.

The project team will hold a drop-in session between 2pm-4pm on the proposals at Y Gaer on, Glamorgan Street in Brecon on Thursday 5 December.

Smolt is the name given to the stage in a young salmon’s life when it migrates to sea.

The new fish pass will complement an existing Larinier fish pass on the weir to ensure that fish are able to pass the structure on both their upstream and downstream migrations.

Presently Brecon Weir is recognised as a significant obstruction to migrating fish swimming downstream. Recent studies have recorded shoals of smolts trapped above the weir, especially in low flows. This delays their migration making them vulnerable to disease and predation.

Susie Kinghan, Four Rivers for LIFE Project Manager said: “Smolts migrate downstream to the sea in spring, and in years when spring flows are low they have experienced difficulty passing over Brecon weir.”

She adds: “Salmon and other fish in the river are now struggling and are at risk of becoming extinct in Wales. This new smolt fish pass will ensure that young fish are able to travel downstream during important stages of their life cycle.”

Members of the community are invited to attend the drop-in event on Thursday 5 December between 2pm-4pm at Y Gaer, Glamorgan Street, Brecon, LD3 7DW.

For further information you can email the team directly on 4RiversforLIFE@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk