Things are set to change for the thuggish aggressive American signal crayfish as protection for the native crayfish looks set to increase with changes to the trapping byelaws coming into force. The native white-clawed crayfish, a protected species, is increasingly under threat from the more aggressive alien species.
A new byelaw for trapping crayfish in England and Wales came into force on the 1st of June. In the past only the Thames Region of the Environment Agency, which plays a key role in the protection of the native white-clawed crayfish, had the authority to allow this activity. The byelaw changes restrict accidental or deliberate transportation of alien crayfish and ‘crayfish plague’, whilst still allowing the legitimate trapping of the crustaceans.
Permission to trap crayfish will be dependant on the local situation in particular the presence of the native white claw crayfish. Other determining factors include the reason for trapping, for instance in some parts of the country trapping can only take place for monitoring and conservation management purposes.
The alien invaders were originally imported for food, but escaped into the wild where they out-compete the smaller and less aggressive native white-clawed species. Signal crayfish also carry the fungal disease ‘crayfish plague’ to which native species have no immunity.
Adrian Taylor, Environment Agency Fisheries Policy and Process Manager said:
“Non-native crayfish are bad news, not only do they push out our native crayfish they can carry the deadly crayfish plague which is responsible for wiping out these populations in large parts of the country.
“Whilst trapping will remove some of these beasts from our waters, they will rarely be eradicated.
Advice should always be sought from the local Environment Agency Officers before an application is made. They will provide advice on what can be consented and also have information on avoiding causing harm to protected animals such as otters and water voles.
Adrian Taylor commented further:
“Unless the trapping is done responsibly it could make the situation worse or even cause further spread. This is why it is so important that potential applicants contact their local officer to discuss their particular case.”
Crayfish are trapped for a number of reasons, including:
Conservation – to re-establish native species in a particular area, or to relocate them during work taking place in their habitat;
Scientific Research – including investigations into interactions between crayfish and other species in the wild, or investigations into methods of controlling the non-native species;
Fisheries management – signal crayfish can become a nuisance for anglers by taking their bait or burrowing in riverbanks
Crayfish trapping advice packs are also available from the National Fisheries Laboratory 01480 483968.
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