The twaite shad was a common sight in the Severn hundreds of years ago. Each spring, twaite shad would migrate up the river in their droves - but weirs built during the 1840s blocked this epic journey. Unlike salmon, shad are not leaping fish, and populations collapsed as a result of the increasing number of obstacles blocking their path. Fortunately, a pioneering new project called Unlocking the Severn aims to save the twaite shad - enabling them to reach their spawning grounds once more.

Today, Dan and Jayne are joined by Rosie Croggon, Education Officer at Severn Rivers Trust and Charles Crundwell, Senior Technical Specialist in Fisheries at the Environment Agency. Rosie and Charles work on Unlocking the Severn: a joint effort between Severn Rivers Trust, the Canal and River Trust, the Environment Agency and Natural England. Their goal? Restoring 158 miles of river to enable the twaite shad to thrive once more.

Find out more about the pioneering work in the latest episode of Rambling About Rivers.