THEY are getting used to seeing the water turn pink.

A record total of salmon are spawning in Hampshire’s River Itchen, providing people living near the world-renowned chalkstream with a daily spectacle.

The number of fish swimming in the river between Bishopstoke and Winchester is said to be the highest for at least half a century.

Families have been flocking to the fast-flowing water to watch the salmon leaping and breeding.

Ideal weather, rising river levels and a dramatic improvement in water quality are all thought to have played a part in the mass migration.

Lyndsey Farmiloe, managing director of Lower Itchen Fishery, said: “We haven’t seen anything like it for years.

“We’ve counted 267, the highest since our records began in 1954. The previous record was 246, which was back in the 1950s.

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“In the early 1990s numbers were down in the thirties and it was all doom and gloom, but this is our third good year in a row.”

Lyndsey said major improvements to a sewage treatment works in Chickenhall Lane, Eastleigh, was one of the reasons behind the surge in salmon numbers.

“Southern Water has spent millions of pounds on the scheme, which has produced the type of water clarity that fish find appealing,” she said.

Chris Pearson of the Itchen Salmon Group estimated that between 800 and 1,000 salmon had swum up the Itchen to reach the spawning area.

He added: “The Chickenhall sewage works used to put out some pretty dirty water, which at times was very close to the discharge consent limits. However, the plant’s had a substantial upgrade and the water is as clear as a bell, which has made a big difference.

“Another major factor is that since 1999 all the people fishing for salmon on the river have voluntarily put them back.”

An Environment Agency spokesman said alterations to locks and weirs on the Itchen had made it easier for salmon to swim upriver.

He added: “We are pleased to see a lot more fish in the Itchen than normal. A week ago the number was stunningly large.”

Martin de Retuerto, of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said a combination of cold temperatures and heavy rainfall had created the optimum conditions for salmon.

“They tune into all these factors – and when conditions are just right you get this frenzy.”