A critical mission to save England’s chalk stream salmon from extinction.
Led locally and backed nationally, Project White Hart brings together science, communities, and conservation to protect and restore England’s wild Atlantic salmon. Driven by nature and delivered collaboratively, the mission connects local action with national impact.
A Species in Crisis
Wild Atlantic salmon are endangered in Great Britain. In England’s chalk streams, numbers have collapsed from thousands to a few hundred. Extinction is now a real and immediate threat.
A coalition built for recovery.
Project White Hart is locally led by the Test & Itchen Catchment Partnership hosted by the Wessex Rivers Trust and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, in partnership with the Atlantic Salmon Trust.
The Mission
Stop extinction. Start recovery.
Project White Hart’s mission is to halt the imminent extinction of the irreplaceable English chalk stream Atlantic salmon and put them on a path to sustainable, long-term recovery.
The Vision
Rivers restored. Salmon returned.
By 2050 we want to see thriving populations of chalk stream salmon in our rivers once again, transforming these catchments into international exemplars of community-coalition led species recovery.
The Challenge
We are close to the edge.
On the River Itchen in 2025, just 250 salmon returned, less than a third of the river’s conservation limit. One major shock could push them beyond recovery.
The Opportunity
Recovery is still possible.
Salmon are resilient. If given the right conditions, they can return. That means cold, clean water, open migration routes, healthy rivers, and protection at every stage of their journey.
This loss would be irreversible.
Chalk stream salmon are rarer than many of the world’s most iconic species. Their disappearance would be a global loss, and a profound break in England’s natural and cultural heritage.
But these rivers also offer hope.
Naturally cool and resilient, chalk streams could become a global refuge for salmon as climate pressures increase elsewhere.
A restoration plan in development.
Bring together the right people. Restore river health. Remove barriers, reduce pollution, and reconnect habitats.
This is achievable. The choice is whether we act.
This is a united effort.
Led locally and supported nationally, a broad coalition is forming to take on this challenge. Organisations, communities and partners are aligning behind a shared mission to protect and restore these rivers.
Who we work with.
Project White Hart has one clear aim - to halt the decline of wild chalk stream salmon in the Rivers Test, Itchen and Meon and bring them back to sustainable levels by 2050.
This unique subspecies of wild Atlantic salmon is now on the brink of extinction. This is because of the pressures wild salmon face at every stage of their lifecycle - it’s a systemic problem, rather than a single point of failure. That means no single organisation or sector can solve the problem on their own.
This is why our coalition is welcoming eNGOs working across the land, freshwater and marine environments, as well as businesses, industry, public and community bodies.
The Polluter Pays Principle.
Project White Hart believes that for chalk stream salmon to have a fighting chance of survival we must take immediate action and every sector, including those that have been part of the problem, have a responsibility to be part of the solution. Engaging all stakeholders is essential if we are to tackle the complex challenges facing chalk streams and their wild salmon.
The Project believes in the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle and has secured funding from Southern Water to carry out its first phase of work. This means that if Southern Water has played a role in contributing to the decline of our chalk streams through bad practices, they have a responsibility to fund restoration work. If they damaged it, it's only right that they should pay to fix it.
Project Partners & Supporters
Project Champions
A symbol of rarity. A symbol of redemption.
The White Hart has long stood in English history and folklore as something rare and worth protecting. It reflects this mission: to restore something precious, and to bring these rivers, the lifeblood of Southern England, back from the brink.
This is the last chance.
The future of chalk stream salmon hangs in the balance.