Swimming Upstream is the story of Patsy Peril, who was born in a small fishing community near Shannon in Ireland, where his family caught fish using hemp nets. In 1929 the local hydro-electric station opened, to provide nearly all of the country’s electricity.
But even before it opened, there were concerns over how the station would block salmon from swimming upstream to spawn, and these concerns were well-founded as numbers have dived ever since. Now there are also fish farms in the Shannon estuary, where disease and parasites are rampant amid tightly crowded fish. This is his story of how to protect wild salmon, a subject he has covered for decades, working with the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation.
About the Author
Patsy Peril grew up in Coonagh, on the outskirts of Limerick City. Always concerned with environmental matters since childhood, the book is written alongside Deirdre Nuttall, who has over 20 years experience of interview collaborative writing projects.
