Red Signal Crayfish

[John Lock]

Does anyone know a website which has good clear pictures of all types of crayfish in our waters so that we can tell for sure whether we've caught a signal or not. I'd hate to think people might be inadvertently hurting the good guys.

 

[Bruce Kerby]

At the start of the season a few years ago while tench fishing on the Basingstoke canal on the Aldershot stretch i was plauged by crays but at the same time a mother mink was feeding on the crays in my swim and feeding her kits on them just a few yards up the bank, as a point a fella used to trap them along the same stretch and sell them to restaraunts nice eating by all accounts , my ferrets love em .

 

[jason fisher]

if you had said that was an otter then tah would have made me happy as it is it's just one thing which should be wiped out eating another.
as it is there is no way we are realistically going to get rid of either of them. So all we can do is feel privilaged if we happen to be one of the lucky few who will se a water vole or native crayfish before they become extinct.
you could help the situation in the seas however by not eating fish. if no one eats it there will be no market for it and they'll stop catching it.

 

[John stevenson]

Please let me know the email address for the Ea so I can add wait to this campaign as this is a ridiculous situation. Hmm I hope these Crayfish are tastey I just love Crustacians.
John

 

[Wolfman Woody]

John - there's absolutely no mistaking a signal cray.

They get their name from the signal red colour underneath their claws which they lift as a threat or signal. Our native white species don't have them.



Also look for the stamp "Potamobius fluviatilis" and "made in the USA" stamped on their side. (kidding)

 

[Ian Whittaker]

It would seem that the only sure way of ridding our waterways of signals is to kill ALL crayfish .

 

[Gareth Lewis]

Here is link to an excellent site containing details of Crayfish. It contains good pictures of European and American Crayfish, so this should help in identifing the different species.

http://www.shrimpcrabsandcrayfish.co.uk

 

[Wolfman Woody]

There's a nice picture of a white clawed crayfish on
http://www.searchnbn.net/brc_spp_acc/crayfish/NBNSYS0000033009.htm

Unbfortunately, it doesn;t show under the claws, but these will be white - hence the name!! DO NOT KILL THEM, that's if you see them as most are nocturnal.

Signals are bright red, absolutely unmistakeable

 

[Stuart Bullard]

Personally I cannot see how we can avoid them wiping out the native species, or at least becoming completely dominant. Seems to late to me and an impossible job - as much as I hate to admit it. At least, not in any way that is economic.

After all, who is banging the drum for the native Red Squirrel over another American import, the Grey Squirrel?

This all sounds to me a bit like locking the stable door.........and perhaps we should focus our efforts on ensuring similar instances are avoided.

If there is a way, great, but I doubt it.

 

[John Lock]

From the EA wensite

There are pictures of both the signal and native crayfish on this page
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/fish/246986/257916/261125/?lang=_e
click on the pictures to expand tham to full page size.

and, for those who want to know more, this page says
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/fish/246986/257916/261125/261227/?lang=_e
We have produced an information booklet on the biology and identification of crayfish which are found in Britain. The booklet also describes the threats posed to our one native species. Copies of the booklet (see picture top left) can be obtained from local offices by telephoning 0845 933 3111.

 

[Andy Nellist]

Problems like this need to be dealt with quickly unfortunately what tends to happen is the the war is lost by the time the EA even notice that it's begun.

Cormorants

Crayfish

Imports of Continental Carp and Cats

Crucians being threatened by spread of goldfish and goldfish hybrids

Rudd disappearing because of movements of Roach

Koi Carp and other non-native fish appearing in rivers

etc. etc.

 

[Wolfman Woody]

QED John! Thanks.

So please everyone, if you do catch a white clawed crayfish just put it back.

If it's a red clawed crayfish........

 

[ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)]

or carry a tin of red paint with you ......

 

[Andy Nellist]

.....then get out the stove, saucepan and mayonaise

 

[Peter Jacobs]

If it's a red clawed crayfish . . . . . . .

Then why don't we all put them in out ground bait buckets and route our drive home via the local EA Office.
Maybe contined tipping of these pests over EA doorsteps might encourage them to get off their bureaucratic backsides and actually *do* something about this problem?

Nah, only joking, or am I??????

 

[Frank Stubbins]

Devils advocate?

I agree that problems like this need to be dealt with quickly but would say unfortunately what tends to happen is the the war is lost by the time the public kick up enough fuss to make government even notice that it's begun. Stop blaming the EA for our problems!

Cormorants (caused by - overfishing at sea and intensively stocked fisheries and clearer rivers (a good thing!). Government figures say we would need to shoot 600,000 cormorants across Europe to solve this problem. Perhaps we should accept lower fish stocks (or make our fisheries ecologically more capable of supporting higher densities of fish so cormorants have less impact(and I don't mean stocking them shoulder to shoulder but actually sorting the habitat out instead)

Crayfish (caused by greedy farmers and dealers, see previous comment as to why I think it's too late)

Imports of Continental Carp and Cats (the EA caught the Dallas's bringing in ?85,000 worth of carp, what happened? The case was referred to Crown court and they gave a whopping ?2000 fine, BIG DEAL! Anyone write to their MP about this? How dissappointed the EA Officers must have been after all that hard work. The EA have now set up a National Fisheries Enforcement Team to enforce fish movements legislation. How many of you will kit a big catfish or sturgeon if you catch it in a river or lake with an open outlet (this is what we need to do to stop potential ecological damage).

Crucians being threatened by spread of goldfish and goldfish hybrids -(stocked by anglers 'cause they are cheap'.Forget the fact that they are crap fish. The EA's policy is not to allow stocking of brown goldfish if the recieving water has any outlets or contains any native stocks. It would be nice if the EA could attend all fish movements but the money isn't there to fund it (they used to but then the government has cut about ?10,000,000 from the EA's funding over the last 10 years (anyone write to their MPS's to complain about this?)

Rudd disappearing because of movements of Roach (by anglers because roach are easier to get hold of!)

Koi Carp and other non-native fish appearing in rivers (who put them there? certainly not the EA).

Perhaps we should put our own house in order, then write to our MP's to get the EA more money to do what we want it to do!

The Salmon lobby shout when they need to and put their hands in their pockets and organise habitat enhancements for their rivers when they need to. We sit and whinge and the blame the old whipping boy, sorry I mean the EA. We couldn't possibly bear any fault ourselves could we?

 

[jason fisher]

maybe some of the koi got into the rivers when the whole of oxfordshire was under water a couple of years ago. all it needs is some one with a pond to get a large river flowing through their garden and they escape.
That flood was caused by a decision not to allow london to flood at all so all the water was held back.

 

[Dave O'L]

Okay so who's got the best crayfish recipe?

In Australia, a yabby (crayfish) stew is just about as good as a long slow scratch of the balls on a Sunday morning?

 

[Gareth Lewis]

Hi dav,
I have cheated a little here. I have copied and pasted a reply i made to an earlier Crayfish thread.

You have got to be careful, regarding the amount of freshly caught crayfish that you eat.
They do carry some nasty bacteria in their gut which can be dangerous to humans.
I tend to take between 40 and 50 live Crayfish a week for the table. A tip that I picked up a few years back, was to keep the live crayfish in a well aerated aquarium for a week. Feeding them only potato peelings. The peelings contain a chemical that flushes their gut out and kills the bacteria.
Another tip that I picked up, was to add a flavouring to the water that they are kept in. This has the effect of marinating them while they are still alive. I know that last sentence is going open me up to ridicule, disbelief, and other such things. So here goes.
For the 5 days that we have the Crayfish in the aquarium before we kill, cook and eat them.
Each day, I add a level teaspoon of either Schwartz Montreal steak, or Schwartz Garlic bread seasoning to the aquarium water. This has the effect of flavouring both the water that they are in, and the potato peelings that they are eating. No doubt, being the scavengers that the are, they are also picking up the small pieces of the seasoning and eating that to. It would not surprise me at all, if the seasoned water that is passing over their gills is also helping to flavour them up.
To kill them, I drop them into boiling water, and when I am certain they are dead. I wrap them singularly in tin foil and cook them under the grill or on the BBQ for about 15 minutes each.
To eat them just separate the tails from the body and shell them like you would a prawn, but be careful the shells are rock hard and sharp. Don't forget to crack the claws with a nut cracker and eat that flesh to.

I ave also got a crafish joke some where. I'll post when I can find it.

 

[Gareth Lewis]

I managed to copy and paste a joke from an Australian
Crayfish web site and I thought you might like it.

A bloke's wife goes missing on a camping trip at Blowering Dam. He spends a
terrible night wondering what could have happened. Next morning a couple of
pretty miserable policemen, the old Sarge and a younger Constable, come to the
camp site.

The Sarge says " Mate we have some news for you, unfortunately some really
bad news, but, some good news and some really good news." "Well," says the bloke

"you'd better let me have it , both barrells, what's the bad news?"

The Sarge says "I 'm really sorry pal but your wife is dead. Young Bill here
found her lying at about 40 feet in a little cleft near the rocks. He got a
line around her and we pulled her up, but she was dead."

The bloke is naturally pretty distressed to hear this and has a bit of a
turn. After a few minutes he pulls himself together and asks what the good news
is.

The sarge says, "Well when we got your wife up there was quite a few really
good sized Murray Crays and a swag of yabbies in and around her polar fleece,
so we've brought you your share." And he hands the bloke a sugar bag with a
couple of nice Murray Crays and a dozen yabbies in it.

"Geez, thanks," the bloke says, "They're bloody beaut, I guess it's an ill
wind and all that. Now what's the really good news?"

"Well," the Sarge says, "me and young Bill here go off duty at around 11
O'Clock and we reckon we'll shoot over there and pull her up again.........