WATER has been released from Kielder reservoir into the River Tyne to help salmon move out of the estuary and further into the freshwater section of the river.
Since July, officers from the Environment Agency have found more than 1,000 dead salmon and 41 sea trout in the upper estuary.
Of these, 228 were collected in the first eight days of September.
The fish die because of low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the estuary, high freshwater temperatures and low river flows.
The last two factors make migrating salmon less likely to move out of the estuary.
The release started yesterday and was timed so water will arrive in the estuary on the same day as the biggest tide for a fortnight.
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