The great leap! Stunning pictures of migrating Tyneside salmon Mass migration of salmon and sea trout taking place on River Tyne in Northumberland A big change since the 1950s when pollution meant that virtually no salmon existed on the river Fisherman have a field day as around 30,000 fish descend on the river All that is missing is a grizzly bear trying to catch these flying salmon, but this is not the wilds of Canada or North America, it is the River Tyne. The annual spectacle of salmon battling upstream has been captured in these stunning photographs. Every year thousands of salmon battle upstream as they return home to spawn, and together with sea trout, the fish are currently negotiating the dangerous journey. An amazing natural spectacle is played out along the River Tyne, Northumberland where thousands of salmon have migrated from as far afield as Greenland and Norway to return to their spawning grounds The salmon and sea trout are trying to reach their spawning grounds on the upper reaches of the North and South River Tyne, high in the North Pennines The River Tyne is the best salmon river in England and Wales and October is the peak time for the migrating season, making for awesome sights of the stunning fish leaping many feet above the water The fish travel from as far away as Greenland and Norway to come back to the exact spot where they were hatched, and after recent heavy rainfall a large number are taking full advantage of the increased waterflow to help them on their journey. Phil Rippon, fisheries technical specialist for the Environment Agency, said: 'They are returning to spawn. They will be spawning in the upper reaches of the North and South Tyne, probably in December or January. Obviously on their way up stream they are prone to get caught by fishermen. The impressive fish are known to return to the place where they spawned to lay their eggs The amazing feat of nature will continue until the fish spawn in December or January This fisherman is making the most of the 30,000 or so fish which will pass through the River Tyne to spawn in the coming weeks We are talking in excess of 30,000 salmon and sea trout migrating up the Tyne ever year. They are inclined to migrate when extra fresh water flows - after rain. We had a lot of rain a few days ago. This is the best time, the peak time. The area has come a long way since the 1950s, when Mr Rippon says that the river was so heavily polluted that it had virtually no salmon at all. He added: 'The Tyne is the best salmon river in England and Wales in terms of the number of salmon caught by fishermen. It has come back from almost nothing to being the best. A fly fisherman tries his luck and scoring a salmon or sea trout supper during the mass migration in Northumberland