American Signal Crayfish

[Fred Bonney]

Three or so years ago as a member of MKAA,I told them that I was aware of a registered dealer in crays operating traps on one of their waters on a small river,with the land owners approval.
I suggested that contact should be made with the owner,to assist with their stretch of the Upper Ouse,I was ignored!
Then again the Chub,Perch and Barbel have been getting massive!

 

[Wolfman Woody]

Just seen the report on BBC News about the pollution in the north east killing all of those native white clawed crays.

What an absolute tragedy!!! They think it is a pesticide probably disposed of by a farmer.

I know many of you won't agree with me, but this sort of incident will continue and more whilst we have a close season. It's villains open days whilst we aren't on the banks of rivers. I'm not saying that anglers presence would have stopped this particular case, but someone might have spotted it sooner and emergency measures put into places to save some of the wildlife.

They now think it will affect the otter population.

 

[jason fisher]

john you said "May be the Cray fish population will stabilise when their numbers become large enough to collect commercially, unlike the mink and the cormorant they are an accepted delicacy."
unfortunately they are fished commercially from the thames, it is a commonly known fact that commercial interests are how they got into the thames round oxford in the first place, at one point they were going for ?10 per lb and one group of 4 people were removing one tonne from the oxford river per month through the summer of 2000,
their numbers did not decline. in fact they actively spread furhter afield and into some still waters a couple of miles from the river.
the reports of anglers spreading them are i think false round here, they do spread by anglers but the anglers in question are members of this group who catch them commercially, they turn up with a plastic box full of tackle and a box of crays to waters all round the area release them into the water and then their mates go to the waters owner and offer to catch them for a small fee.

 

[Graham Whatmore]

Sad situation about the white crayfish kill up north isn't it? If, and its a big if, they find out who done it they'll probably be fined a pittance and walk away laughing. Our local, very small canal, was polluted 3 times by the same chemical works and the third time they made an example of them and fined them ?1000, laughable isn't it.

I did notice that the BBC report mentioned that the native species was already under threat from the 'reds' so at least its been officially recognised. Pressure to bear and all that, and maybe writing to the dailies is a way of highlighting the situation. Surely theres something we fishermen can do other than thru forums like this