UK RIVERS SIGNAL CRAYFISH SCOURGE
Printed From: Reptiles and Amphibians of the UK
Category: General
Forum Name: Associated Fauna and Flora
Forum Description: A forum for plants, invertebrates and other animals associated with herpetofauna
URL: http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3935
Printed Date: 16 Apr 2024 at 8:00pm
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Topic: UK RIVERS SIGNAL CRAYFISH SCOURGE
Posted By: AGILIS
Subject: UK RIVERS SIGNAL CRAYFISH SCOURGE
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2011 at 8:11am
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Well these certainly are spread in epidemic proportions. I was out the other day on the River lark snooping about rod in hand (fishing rod) & doing a bit of herping ,when a couple of blokes arrived with a drop net with meat as bait,and explained they caught around 200 in a few hours the other arvo. Well to my suprise they had around 20 within under 20 mins and reckon they are good eating if you like scampi or langoustines . Well these invaders are killing of our native crays and I believe eating native fish eggs, and the river authorities want them completely removed from our river none to be returned no matter what size. Then I find out you need a licence to do their job for them "what a joke".To tell them apart from native crays if any left these are redish in colour and of course have bright red under the claws hense signal cray fish, as to native darker blackish grey green with white claws. But I have since found out you do not need to pay for the licence its free just apply to the dept of the enviroment, Well getting my net sorted out for some free bee cuisine river tucker Ps they can give you a good old nip not for the squeamish as quite aggressive little blighters LOL... I believe they become a bit dormant in cold weather below 7 or 8 degrees. keith    ------------- LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
Replies:
Posted By: herpetologic2
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2011 at 9:07am
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The trapping of these critters would probably make the 'problem' even worse as it does nothing to the population. In fact the larger adults are effective population controllers of the younger crayfish so taking them out may increase the population and cause more to disperse and spread. The EA are loathed to give any trapping licenses around my way as 1. there are still white clawed crayfish around and 2. the spread of disease is more likely when people are encouraged to trap these animals. Oh and there is also the otters on the rivers round here which may get caught in the traps. They are tasty though and a great wild food. Using all the animals captured can be used to make a soup and the claws and tails are great with watercress in a sandwich ------------- Report your sightings to the Record Pool http://recordpool.org.uk" rel="nofollow - http://arguk.org/recording |
Posted By: Caleb
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2011 at 9:21am
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Not only do you need a licence to trap them, you also need a licence to keep them alive after trapping (except in certain parts of the country that are already heavily infested)- otherwise you'd have to kill them immediately after you catch them. |
Posted By: AGILIS
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2011 at 9:47am
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I find this situation a complete nanny state disgrace here we have a pest in our rivers that the authorities want eliminated, then they have the bloody cheek to impose restrictions and probably get us to attend a induction course to obtain a licence for us to do them a favour in ridding this pest from our rivers,This is bureaucracy gone mad that this country seem to thrive on .I would love to be taken to court and have my say on not having a licence for doing their job for them.... god what next health and safety rules to wear helmets & gloves to use your drop net ,not exactly exstreme fishing is it but you could get nipped LOL keith ------------- LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
Posted By: Caleb
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2011 at 11:17am
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You don't have to have a licence to take them, just to use traps. You can jump in and grab as many as you like (if you've got the landowner's permission) without a licence. The reason for licensing is (as Jon hinted at above) the potential for damaging native wildlife (especially water vole and otter) during trapping. No doubt the 'authorities' are also grateful for the free monitoring data they get from the license returns. As Jon also pointed out, it's not helping 'ridding the pest' if large ones are taken, as they're quickly replaced by youngsters. |
Posted By: AGILIS
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2011 at 12:20pm
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Mind you larger fish like Chub Pike and Zander eat them including Trout ------------- LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
Posted By: MancD
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2011 at 12:15pm
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Article below about a chap who was prosecuted for trapping and eating several White Clawed Crayfish. Although this isn't the non-native Signal Crayfish, it does show that the media advising people that trapping and removing the non-native species is a good thing, as others have said it doesn't have any effect on the population and also runs the risk of spreading disease. In this case it also resulted in a prosecution and hefty fine for "accidentally" trapping the native species. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/118057.aspx - http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/118057.aspx
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Posted By: Davew
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2011 at 2:14pm
| I would imagine the point of the licence is to ensure the holder can differentiate between Singal and White-clawed. I believe it's quite difficult. Removing loads of crayfish sp is all well and good but not if they are the wrong and endangered species. |
Posted By: AGILIS
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2011 at 3:46pm
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I dont think you can mistake the signal crafish as to its colour on the claws and body + it grows bigger then our native ones all you do is check your catch as simple as that. I would not be setting traps only using attended drop nets so no probs. and I think some one with my long experience in field herpetology and being a life long angler give me the confidence to know what I am doing,without getting lectures from some academics straight from uni working for the environment agency or water authority that seem to be getting footholds in laying down regulations on what was once common sense .. ------------- LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
Posted By: Davew
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2011 at 4:09pm
| Fair enough however I must say I also have a very long history with most aspects of British Wildlife and have seen quite a few White-clawed and very many Signal. Large adults are as you say no problem but personally I can't tell the difference with the small ones. It's not something I've done for about 10 years now though but I'd be fairly sure that anywhere you now catch Signal it's a fairly safe bet that there are no White-clawed in the area anyway so it's probably academic. I totally agree with your last sentence. |
Posted By: herpetologic2
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2011 at 4:14pm
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The license is to do with controlling fishing - without rods i.e. trapping in any river or stream the EA wants to regulate where traps are going in etc. The white clawed crayfish are getting rarer and rarer and are vulnerable so allowing trapping in areas may help wipe them out further by spreading plague etc. Here is the curse of the celebrity chef article from Hampshire Wildlife Trust http://www.hwt.org.uk/pages/the-curse-of-the-celebrity-chef.html - http://www.hwt.org.uk/pages/the-curse-of-the-celebrity-chef.html ------------- Report your sightings to the Record Pool http://recordpool.org.uk" rel="nofollow - http://arguk.org/recording |
Posted By: AGILIS
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2011 at 6:22pm
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Sorry I cant agree with this spreading of disease by trapping the damage has already been done by all the effluent and crap that has entered our waters through years of abuse from the water authorities and by farmers abstracting water turning once fast flowing rivers and trout streams into nothing but silted up sewers, or just clogged up with weed due to lack of cutting control as in the past, Getting back to the crays its to late they are here to stay so lets get some for the table and enjoy them. with a nice bottle of your choice. keith ------------- LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
Posted By: AGILIS
Date Posted: 05 Aug 2012 at 7:19am
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Well taking advantage of a free arvo near Bury St Edmunds I decided to give my home made cray fish net made out of a push bike rim,so headed to the River Lark that has a infestation of American signal crayfish,so loaded the net with some chicken carcasses I chucked it in and in about 5 mins I had 4 so in less then a hour I had over 60. I must say I did feel sorry for them, so to ease my conscience I donated them to my local bistro and wine bar that I inhabit that now has crayfish salad on the menu. I think they will never be eliminated the damage has been done and they are here to stay and we have to accept that as a fact also they have been established in the in the rivers longer then we think .keith ------------- LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
Posted By: herpetologic2
Date Posted: 05 Aug 2012 at 8:12am
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Hi keith that sounds great and it is excellent that local crayfish is on the menu The issue with trapping signals is the ineffectiveness of this method and the problem of increasing the signal population by removing the larger animals (the eaters) leaving the young to explode pushing more out to the countryside In my town there is a good white clawed crayfish population so there is no chance of trapping even with permission of the owners of he river owners I guess in infested areas it does no harm to take a few forthw table the question is is it legal to do so?
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Posted By: mickp
Date Posted: 19 Aug 2012 at 5:50pm
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I can remember Jack Hargreaves on the TV programme Out of Town demonstrating how to catch crayfish using a strange device that looked like an old bicycle wheel rim without the spokes and hub, this had a net spread across it and was suspended horizontally from a pole and line. Jack then lowered the contraption into the water so that it lay flat on the river bed. With some bait tied to it's centre in no time the net was positively crawling with crayfish. Jack smartly withdrew the device from the river and tipped the catch into a bucket, demonstrating how you could easily collect your own live-bait or a tasty snack. Myself and a couple of mates had a go at this. What a disaster! We caught nothing and ended up chucking the thing into the river. For all I know it's there yet over forty years later somewhere in the disputed border lands between Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, mute testimony to an early TV icon and the fact that there were no crayfish in the Roding. Mike |
Posted By: AGILIS
Date Posted: 19 Aug 2012 at 9:30pm
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HI MIKE THIS IS WHAT I USE a old bike rim with garden netting weighed down at the center,and I know the R Roding very well most of its upper reaches that once held the odd trout have been allowed to silt up an become weed infested a sad outcome for a once vibrant river Keith ------------- LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |