Signal Crayfish - Gloucestershire/Oxfordshire

[batch237]

Hello everyone,

I am looking to trap and eat as may as these troublesome Signal Crayfish as I can (with the support of the EA of course). I have recently moved to Gloucestershire, just north of Bourton on the Water (River Windrush), can anyone advise where I should search for these little blighters? the closer to home - the better!

Thanks in anticipation!

 

[jasonbean1]

you will need permision of the land owner and/or any fishing clubs...chances are if they think your doing it commercially they will charge you. the windrush as plenty in just look for the slower deeper stretches with steep muddy banks this is where they burrow and live

other than that you take your chances

---------- Post added at 05:21 ---------- Previous post was at 05:20 ----------

p.s why in the barbel section?

 

[sanders]

The Cherwell is full of them I can't imagine any half sane fishing club charging you, these damn things are infesting the river. They ae in any and every swim, just drop your net and empty it ten minutes later. Good luck

 

[Ray Wood 1]

Crayfish trapping
Anyone who traps crayfish needs a permission from us. We have strict rules in place to protect our native (white-clawed) crayfish,as well as controlling the spread of invasive non-native crayfish. It is also important to make sure that the traps used in a way that is safe for other aquatic animals, like otters and water voles.
If you want to trap non-native crayfish it is vital that you follow the rules below to avoid breaking the law.
Crayfish trapping rules
Native (white-clawed) crayfish are a protected species. You must not trap them to eat or sell. Be aware it is illegal to handle them without a licence from Natural England/Countryside Council for Wales.
Trapping for non-native crayfish is only allowed in certain areas of the country, due to the risks to native crayfish.
You can trap non-native crayfish, but only if you have written authorisation from us and you attach the identity tags that we send you to your trap(s).
Additional to our consent, you must also get permission from the landowner who owns the fishing rights for the pond or river.
Apply for a consent to trap non-native crayfish
Using the right traps - A guide to crayfish trapping (PDF, 580KB)
Find out how crayfish plague is killing off our native species.
Who to Contact
For paper copies of the guidance booklet and application forms please contact us by email at enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk or by phone on 0370 8506506.
For specific advice in your area, or on your application form, please ask to speak to your local Fisheries Officer. They will also be able to tell you whether we issue consents in your area.

For further general advice, contact our Fish Movements Team:
Environment Agency
Bromholme Lane
Brampton
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE28 4NE
Phone: 01480 483968
Fax: 01480 483955
or 01480 483026

Stay within the rules and eat some for me

Kind regards
Ray

 

[sanders]

It would appear in many rivers that the native crayfish have already been wipred out by the signals anyway. Tell me Ray, on what grounds might permission to trap signals be refused by the EA if we assume the trapper has the right equipment?
I know on the Kennet a trapper operates regularly and it is one of the few Thames catchment areas where you can have a bait in the water for any length of time before it's taken by crays. This would suggest regular, controlled trapping is the way to keep some semblance of control over a species that is rapidly ruining the Thames area rivers.

 

[Ray Wood 1]

Sanders,
I have no idea why a license would be refused by the EA only they can answer that question.

One area of the Great Ouse I used to fish is/was full of them as are parts of the River Kennet. They are spreading through the River Lea...not sure that trapping is the answer to this problem as it is unreliable in my opinion.

Like all other problems our waterways are suffering the EA and others seem to either have no answers or do not care. Take your pick as to what one you think right.

Kind regards
Ray

 

[sanders]

I suppose trapping is as reliable as the trapper. Like I said, the guy on the Kennet seemed to keep them well under control and was making decent living too. Strange how few people seem to trap them considering how good to eat they are!

 

[The bad one]

Don't know these rivers or their history, industrial if any. But would point out to you, crays are bottom scavengers, and as such, take in a lot of sediment. If a watercourse has a history of an industrial legacy that history is in those sediments. As many of the substances of that legacy are toxic and very long lived toxins, they can and do bioaccumulate in the flesh of such scavengers.

What may seem like free food could well start to do you harm if eaten regularly and often.

 

[sanders]

I'm not aware of any industrial problems in these rivers, all I know is the crays seem to like them

 

[Fred Bonney]

I chatted to a trapper on the Kennet last year, he said since he's been trapping the numbers of crays has increased, he was thinking of packing it up ..because he can't get the money for them anymore!!

 

[sanders]

I'm surprised he said the numbers were increasing. Of all the Thames & it's tributaries I have fished, including the Cherwell, Kennet, Windrush and Evenlode, the Kennet is the only river where the bait isn't molested by crays within minutes of casting in. On the Cherwell this will even include bread when water temps are below 40 degress.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Sanders.

As one who actually fishes the Kennet more than once a year or so, unlike some experts, I can confirm the last 2-3 years have seen a significant decline in signal crayfish in most stretches.

Graham

 

[Fred Bonney]

I'm surprised he said the numbers were increasing. Of all the Thames & it's tributaries I have fished, including the Cherwell, Kennet, Windrush and Evenlode, the Kennet is the only river where the bait isn't molested by crays within minutes of casting in. On the Cherwell this will even include bread when water temps are below 40 degress.

I can only state what was passed on to me by a professional trapper of crays, it's not a personal or an expert opinion as it's not a river I fish regularly.

 

[broomy]

I live in Middlesbrough and fish the hard bottomed River tees. The middle reaches have a population, how high I wouldn't know. Put a net out baited with pellets, tuna fish anything faintly fishy or edible. Retrieve it a few hours later and signal crays are present. If small I have a check to make sure no native species are present and then crush them if large they are eaten.
With crayfish, cormorant, otters and gosanders present in significant numbers and seemingly on the increase it makes me wounder just were we will be regarding the populations of fish in our rivers in years to come.

 

[chub_on_the_block]

I understand the rules and regulations about crayfish trapping but get a bit miffed sometimes about how the EA comes across as rather enjoying its role too much regulating things. It should be PROMOTING the capture and removal of signal crayfish. If it offered cash per kilo for the bloody things there might be a chance of removing them. It should be giving away traps to all that need them too.

 

[sanders]

Couldn't agree more, regulations for regulations sake. As Graham confirmed, regular trapping does make a big difference. I no longer fish the Kennet but enjoyed my season of relatively cray free angling there!

 

[Chevin]

Fifty odd years ago when fishing the upper Ouse, we used to take a pan and a little gas burner when we went fishing and after the chub fishing had finished for the morning, we would net a load of crayfish, boil them up and eat them. We often wished that they grew bigger. It sounds as though the signals are much bigger. Is there anything to stop you cooking them at the water's edge and eating them there and then? There is no danger of them getting into other waters if you do that. Not only does it get rid of a few from the waters, but they will also make a tasty snack. I have a garden pond and along with the fish I have a healthy head of a crayfish that is called a koonack here. They are very much like the native British crayfish and just as tasty. I took a few of them out the other day and we had a couple of koonack cocktails out of them.