Cynrig Hatchery
Nominated for Environment champion award
At the heart of Welsh species recovery stands the Cynrig Hatchery team—Dr John Taylor, Oliver Brown, Richard Davies, and Haydn Probert of Natural Resources Wales. Tirelessly dedicated, these specialists rear and restore some of the UK’s most threatened wildlife: water voles, white-clawed crayfish, freshwater pearl mussels, and Arctic Char.
Their work is a blend of scientific skill, adaptability, and innovative thinking—feeding and cleaning seven days a week, perfecting breeding methods, and developing sustainable solutions like hydroponic vegetable growing for water voles.
The team’s efforts have seen over 7,000 crayfish successfully reared, 10,000 water voles reintroduced, cutting-edge salmon tracking environmental impact trials, the first reintroduction of freshwater pearl mussels in Wales and the restoration of a rare population of Arctic Char facing imminent extinction.
Always humble, they share their knowledge widely, nurturing both wildlife and the next generation of experts through volunteer engagement. The Cynrig Hatchery team’s commitment and determination are a model of environmental stewardship, protecting biodiversity and helping secure Wales’s most at-risk species.