This year’s Salmon Run was held on Sunday 24 September, with dozens of runners participating in a 5k community fun run, a six-part team relay and a 50 mile ultra run along a River Exe route stretching from Exmouth to Tarr Steps in Exmoor National Park.
The relay teams handed over a salmon-shaped baton at Salmon Pool, Exwick, Thorverton, Tiverton and Exebridge.
The events, which were held to highlight the significance of salmon and the species’ relationship with the waterway, were timed to coincide with World Rivers Day, an annual celebration of global waterways that has been held on the fourth Sunday of September since 2005.
Salmon numbers are in decline in the UK, including in the River Exe, and are classified as an “at risk” species. The Westcountry Rivers Trust says that UK salmon may become extinct if significant action is not taken to halt the decline.
Salmon Run is organised by Tidelines, a community project focussed on the River Exe that aims to increase understanding of the impact of climate change on its marine and estuary environment.
It was created by artists Anne-Marie Culhane and Jo Salter and works with local organisations and residents, researchers and other creative practitioners.