Francesca
Glyn-Jones - 9-Oct-2006 - Environment Agency officers
will be hunting down illegal trappers who are
destroying the last survivors of Yorkshire’s native
crayfish population.
The native white-clawed crayfish
is extremely rare and its decline is largely due
to its predatory cousin, the American signal crayfish
which is invading British rivers.
However the native species can
still be found in the River Aire and Wharfe, and
Environment Agency officers will be making sure
their habitats are safe by cracking down on unlicensed
crayfish traps.
The operation has been launched
after a trader selling the traps was overheard
wrongly assuring people that they didn’t need
a licence.
Fisheries team leader for the
Environment Agency Pat O’Brien said: "The
native crayfish are close to extinction which
is why we are doing everything we can to protect
them. Not only are they under threat from the
Amercan signal but they are in danger due to people’s
unthinking actions as well.
"Crayfish traps need to
be licensed but because this area is so important
for the native species we usually only issue licenses
for conservation or research purposes. A trap
is not discerning, it will catch native crayfish
as well as American signal and our own species
deserve to be left alone."
It is illegal to trap or handle
native crayfish without a licence. Crayfish surveys
show that traps usually catch large male crayfish
rather than females or juveniles but because male
signals eat juveniles they actually help to keep
the signal population down. Evidence shows that
where there has been trapping, there has also
been a dramatic increase in signal numbers.
Scientists believe the native
white-clawed crayfish will be extinct locally
within the next 20 years because of the increase
of signals throughout the region’s river catchments.
In August Environment Agency
officers worked with Leeds City Council to provide
the native species with a safe haven in Roundhay
Park.
Around 20 artificial refuges
have been created in the upper lake to encourage
a population of white-claws to grow.
