Members of the salmon fishing fraternity have had their patience tested to the limit as they try out a new salmon trap in the Leith River.
The Dunedin Community Salmon Trust has installed a trap across the Leith River to catch salmon that are returning to spawn but have been waiting for more than a month for the first ones to arrive.
Trust chairman Brett Bensemann said it was the first year they had tried the trap and they had the necessary resource consents.
The trap is simply a set of portable sheep yards set across one of the river channels.
''The trap is working. We know that because we have caught 14 sea-run trout.''
Mature salmon that would otherwise swim up the Leith, lay their eggs and then die, will be taken to the trust's hatchery and harvested for their eggs.
Any trout that are caught are weighed, measured and released back into the river to continue their journey.
Harvesting salmon eggs would ensure the best survival rates for the smolt, which are then released back in the Leith at the ideal time.
Mr Bensemann said the whole South Island salmon return was behind schedule because of the warm sea conditions and he was hopeful they would return over the next month or two.
''We know there is salmon out there in the harbour as we speak, it is just a matter of when they will return.''
The trust would be releasing 30,000 smolt on May 25 and has a total of 90,000 smolt in three tanks.
