Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}
Well-known member
I spent just a couple of hours with a mate yesterday trapping crays from a little local river. In that time we bagged over fifty of these critturs. It was reported last year that over 120,000 of these were removed from the same small beat in a single operation.
God only knows how much fry and spawn they are accounting for. I can only imagine that they are quite capable of nabbing the odd free swimming fish or amphibian too, as I managed to let one of the smaller specimens nab my finger. It left two puncture wounds which bled profusely. I had no idea they were so feisty.
I find it difficult to accept that the perch and chub are growing bigger because of the presence of this species in our river systems. Even if they manage to pick off a few whilst they are in moult, I just cant see them dealing with them generally. They're blinking huge! /forum/smilies/disappointed_smiley.gif
God only knows how much fry and spawn they are accounting for. I can only imagine that they are quite capable of nabbing the odd free swimming fish or amphibian too, as I managed to let one of the smaller specimens nab my finger. It left two puncture wounds which bled profusely. I had no idea they were so feisty.
I find it difficult to accept that the perch and chub are growing bigger because of the presence of this species in our river systems. Even if they manage to pick off a few whilst they are in moult, I just cant see them dealing with them generally. They're blinking huge! /forum/smilies/disappointed_smiley.gif