How to Deter Signal Crayfish?

[no-one in particular]

I don't understand why the fish aren't disposing of them - are they simply too numerous?

I would have thought so the way they breed but you would have thought their eggs and small fry would provide food for all the fish. Do Pike, Otters, Cormorants etc eat them? However, there must be an imbalance in there somewhere. In time nature will probably take care of it, some disease or something but nature is slow.

 

[mikench]

See my earlier comment. They are predated on by heron, otters and eels. I am sure many of their eggs will be eaten by a variety of water life not least Signal Crays who are cannibalistic !

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Thanks Peter but I'll wing it.
Surely if the EA can't be bothered to check licences a few randomly placed reggie traps will be too much trouble.
Apparently they are in the local rivers, one or two places have flat banks.

I understand your point, although, is it worth risking to break the law if you do get caught?

The fines can be prohibitive and the form takes but a few minutes to complete and send off . . . . .

My Brother's old school motto springs to mind: Careful forethought saves anxious afterthought . . . .

 

[rayner]

When some folk up here fish the rivers through the close season unchecked, is there a real threat of being captured, I doubt it.
They may well be in the local rivers but are they in good numbers?
I was thinking they would make a decent BBQ option.

 

[mikench]

Go for it! If I come across them I will. They need to be cleaned and the Internet tell how. They can be bbq'd but boiling them with Cajun spices( see earlier posts in this thread) is a great way to eat them. You need a lot though........er there are a lot!

 

[no-one in particular]

When some folk up here fish the rivers through the close season unchecked, is there a real threat of being captured, I doubt it.
They may well be in the local rivers but are they in good numbers?
I was thinking they would make a decent BBQ option.

Probably not but its always that sods law thing, you buy a license every year and never get checked, the year you don't buy one, bobs your uncle, never fish in the close season and then the day you do and fannys your aunt.
Which ever way you go - enjoy your barbecue, sounds nice.

 

[mikench]

You can catch them on rod and line and if a bailiff appears you just leave the net in the water! I will search out smaller nets!

Available on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8...&hvtargid=kwd-40186150&ref=pd_sl_730lyf2twi_b

Here is a DIY design on wiki how:http://m.wikihow.com/Make-a-Crawfish-Trap

 

[no-one in particular]

Go for it! If I come across them I will. They need to be cleaned and the Internet tell how. They can be bbq'd but boiling them with Cajun spices( see earlier posts in this thread) is a great way to eat them. You need a lot though........er there are a lot!

A bit of night fishing might be in order- We might need some of Crows advice here, could be his big moment-never there when you need him

 

[mikench]

My idea Mark was for those of us interested to have , say two or three, appropriate sized nets like the DIY job I mentioned, and to put them in your swim at the start of your session. One would do to start with. Their presence hopefully would attract the crays and leave your bait for the fish!

At the end of the session as you pack up you retrieve the traps( nets) and take the catch home and do some broiling y'all!

I' ve got the Cajun spices........!

 

[S-Kippy]

I don't understand why the fish aren't disposing of them - are they simply too numerous?

Yes....and too big and too aggressive. Forget the native crayfish which are quite dinky little blokes compared to a signal. Think small lobster with serious anger management issues and you'll be nearer the mark.There is no way on earth that trapping will solve the problem. Firstly I think you'd need traps every 20 yards [both banks] of every inch of an affected river to have the slightest impact.....and you'd have to do it 24/7 for 25 years. Not even PJ could eat that many !

And don't forget your tractor, winch or team of horses to lift the traps.

Even if you did that I think they'd be back as numerous as ever inside 18 months. Not only do I not believe there is a solution I don't believe there is a viable way of controlling them. You cant poison them without killing everything else and the damned thinks are built like Chieftan tanks. Nothing short of an armour piercing shell at point blank range will stop them.

However...the biggest issue about crayfish control is that nobody is interested as there's no money in it. The commercial trappers make a few bob but the likelihood of the EA getting involved ? Not a chance, mate.

I once stomped one into a gooey mess...kicked it into the grass and 10 minutes later the damned thing dragged itself back into the lake. They are nigh on indestructible and we don't have rivers full of catfish to eat the damned things.

Pray they don't reach your waters. If they do....they're finished.

---------- Post added at 11:47 ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 ----------

My idea Mark was for those of us interested to have , say two or three, appropriate sized nets like the DIY job I mentioned, and to put them in your swim at the start of your session. One would do to start with. Their presence hopefully would attract the crays and leave your bait for the fish!

At the end of the session as you pack up you retrieve the traps( nets) and take the catch home and do some broiling y'all!

I' ve got the Cajun spices........!

Might as well spit in the wind. You'd have a very nice tea but for every signal you kill 100 turn up for the funeral. Trapping just makes space for the others.

 

[Hugh Bailey]

Could catfish be a solution? I'm sure I've read of badly affected still waters that have been cleared by the introduction and subsequent removal of a small number of catfish. not so easy to control them in a river, and obviously they would also eat other stuff, but if things are that bad on some waters, could it possible make it worse?

 

[greenie62]

Could catfish be a solution? ...

Haven't there been reports of catfish on the Trent? Has that seen a removal of the cray problems there?
Just send Binka in to bust them!

 

[mikench]

Maybe maybe! I am minded of that old song by Burl Ives, "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly"

I do not fancy catfish at all except in The Deep South of the US with a spicy sauce and some jambalaya ! Oh and some cold beers!

 

[no-one in particular]

I once stomped one into a gooey mess...kicked it into the grass and 10 minutes later the damned thing dragged itself back into the lake. They are nigh on indestructible...

I want their DNA, artificial inseminate my children with it, start a super race.

 

[mikench]

Not when broiled or bbq'd Mark!

 

[S-Kippy]

Super race maybe but they'd not be lookers. You might have a spot of bother marrying them off.

On the plus side they'd soon move out and infest somewhere else.

---------- Post added at 13:28 ---------- Previous post was at 13:21 ----------

Could catfish be a solution? I'm sure I've read of badly affected still waters that have been cleared by the introduction and subsequent removal of a small number of catfish. not so easy to control them in a river, and obviously they would also eat other stuff, but if things are that bad on some waters, could it possible make it worse?

Its a thought. That's really the only way in my mind....find something less destructive that eats crayfish. Not sure catfish would be everybody's choice though.

Alternatively get Mary Berry involved. If the BBC were bold enough to commission "The Great British Cray-Bake Off" we might be in business.

 

[mikench]

If Jamie Oliver or one of his ilk raved on about Signal Crayfish and how plentiful they were ,how easy to catch for free and how good they were for you, we would be rid of them before the TV series was over

 

[maggot_dangler]

Super race maybe but they'd not be lookers. You might have a spot of bother marrying them off.

On the plus side they'd soon move out and infest somewhere else.

---------- Post added at 13:28 ---------- Previous post was at 13:21 ----------



Its a thought. That's really the only way in my mind....find something less destructive that eats crayfish. Not sure catfish would be everybody's choice though.

Alternatively get Mary Berry involved. If the BBC were bold enough to commission "The Great British Cray-Bake Off" we might be in business.

The Great British Cray-Bake Off would need changing just a little

The Great British Signal-Cray-Bake Off


PG ...

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Alternatively get Mary Berry involved. If the BBC were bold enough to commission "The Great British Cray-Bake Off" we might be in business.

Good idea that; it seems that anything that the octogenarian flour-flinger turns her talon-like hands to becomes a success . . . . .

 

[mikench]

A crime series based could be produced all about the Crays , a family of lobsters!