Mitten Crab.

Headlines in my local paper....Alien invasion could destroy our wetlands.Seen at the Ouse washes near Welney by local farmer.It seems the chinese Mitten Crab has arrived in east Anglia.......Naturalists fear that Mittens will eat fish spawn,small mammals and amphibians;upsetting the natural ecology of our rivers!...... Apparently the one good thing about them is they make good eating. A good third of one page is given over to a report on this Unwelcome visitor. What do you think?!.

myketyke said:

Headlines in my local paper....Alien invasion could destroy our wetlands.Seen at the Ouse washes near Welney by local farmer.It seems the chinese Mitten Crab has arrived in east Anglia.......Naturalists fear that Mittens will eat fish spawn,small mammals and amphibians;upsetting the natural ecology of our rivers!...... Apparently the one good thing about them is they make good eating. A good third of one page is given over to a report on this Unwelcome visitor. What do you think?!.

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Which paper were the headlines in MT??

Mittens have been in the Gt Ouse for some time so it was only a matter of time before they found their way into the Delph and Old Bedford rivers. I'd assume the New Bedford is crawling with the little devils? I can't say they look particularly tasty!!

Just found this http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=NOED11%20Feb%202010%2015:17:21:293

Now all I need is a recipe!!

Eastern daily press, Friday,12, 2010. Yes you have found it.This is the first I knew of them.

Evidently they've been around in the Thames for quite a while for a while --they were first discovered in 1935 ....


SEE HERE

and more about them

HERE

myketyke said:

Headlines in my local paper....Alien invasion could destroy our wetlands.Seen at the Ouse washes near Welney by local farmer.It seems the chinese Mitten Crab has arrived in east Anglia.......

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Myketyke, they are now well established in the tidal reaches of the river Trent, a couple of seasons back i was fishing meat for Barbel and on rewinding for a recast thought that the little extra wieght i was pulling back was debris, imagine the surprise i had when up comes a crab, clinging to the meat with one claw and eating it with the other. It was the first i had ever seen (or heard of) up to that point but now they are coming out to all and sundry on a regular basis, last winter i was fishing stick float with a friend when ,on striking a bite he had one also----and his bait was definately up in the water-- we couldnt figure that one out? ---Horrible things

Please, God, make them irresistible to otters!