Red Claw

[kennythejoiner]

Has Any One Heard If Red Claws Are Being Defeated At Loch Ken Yet.
Kenny..

[Nos4r2]

Do you mean crayfish? My sympathies if you do-we're infested with them here. If you've got them then you won't get rid of them.

[kennythejoiner]

Do you mean crayfish? My sympathies if you do-we're infested with them here. If you've got them then you won't get rid of them.

I THATS THE ONES I THINK THEY CALL THEM SIGNAL CRAYFISH.
THEY ARE EVEN TACKING SINGLE MAGGOTS ON THE FEEDER RODS , AND THE DEAD BAITS COME UP A SKELETON LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A CARTOON, EVEN POPUP.
ANY IDEAS HOW TO FISH WITH THEM THERE
KENNY..

[Nos4r2]

Yeah thats the ones. Very hard to fish-only option is to keep the bait moving or well off the bottom. Defra won't let you take them but if you catch one out of water it's illegal to put it back.

Once you get them they are there to stay.

[kennythejoiner]

They Are Suppose To Very Tasty
Kenny..

[Nos4r2]

They Are Suppose To Very Tasty
Kenny..


They are. BUT... They carry a fungus on their shells that kills the native british white clawed crayfish. That's why you're not supposed to take them-if the fungus finds its way into a watercourse without them in, it'll kill all the native crayfish. This can even be through water you use to purge them...
There's NO native crayfish left down here.

Oh, and the fines for being caught with them are huge. Don't be tempted!

[jake]

ive seen people catch in my neck of the woods and they have stabed them through the head and dispose of them

[cfish]

They are. BUT... They carry a fungus on their shells that kills the native british white clawed crayfish. That's why you're not supposed to take them-if the fungus finds its way into a watercourse without them in, it'll kill all the native crayfish. This can even be through water you use to purge them...
There's NO native crayfish left down here.

Oh, and the fines for being caught with them are huge. Don't be tempted! I think if you catch a few you can eat boil them up and eat them on the bank! But like you say transporting live ones home is a no no! Not sure but i think the ea/defra do licence some people to fish them commercialy? The bl**dy things got into a stream i used to fish for trout,it was never the same after they got established!

[kennythejoiner]

Can You Put Baited Pots Down And Destroy All You Get.
Would This Help Or Is It To Late.
Kenny..

[cfish]

Can You Put Baited Pots Down And Destroy All You Get.
Would This Help Or Is It To Late.
Kenny.. I suppose its worth a try,but make sure you check with the enviroment agency first.:thumbs:

[Nos4r2]

Can You Put Baited Pots Down And Destroy All You Get.
Would This Help Or Is It To Late.
Kenny..

If you put baited pots down you'll have DEFRA on your back faster than a dog in heat.

Take a look at these links. They don't make good reading:-

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=signal+crayfish&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB

[kennythejoiner]

Were Going Back Down This Weekend.
Going To Try Popping Of The Bottom, Failing That I'm Back To Cray Fish Fishing.
Kenny..

[Davy Holt]

Defra won't let you take them but if you catch one out of water it's illegal to put it back.

Once you get them they are there to stay.

I don't think DEFRA have any say on it up here as Scottish waters are coved by SEPA and as far as I know since we don't have very many places where the native Cray's live we don't have the same restrictions.

I know if I was closer I'd certainly be making a dent in the population.. crayfish mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :)

[Nos4r2]

I doubt SEPA will have any different views on red claws mate. They are a proper menace.

[Davy Holt]

Hiya,

I doubt SEPA will have any different views on red claws mate. They are a proper menace.

As you said no different views from SEPA, but as I said I don't think we have the same restrictions on taking them for the pot as you have down there.

[kennythejoiner]

Davy,
We Were Down At The Weekend , And There Are Signs Up Prohibiting The Removal Of Crayfish From The Loch Now.
Kenny..

[Davy Holt]

Davy,
We Were Down At The Weekend , And There Are Signs Up Prohibiting The Removal Of Crayfish From The Loch Now.
Kenny..

Well you live and learn :)

You would think that if they were that much of a problem, taking them for food would be encouraged.

[happy hibee]

Has Any One Heard If Red Claws Are Being Defeated At Loch Ken Yet.
Kenny..

see galloway news 20/3/08

[kennythejoiner]

see galloway news 20/3/08

HERE IT IS
KENNY..

Crayfish may never be eradicated, says SNHMar 20 2008




BY COLIN PATERSON


A GOVERNMENT agency reckons it will be “almost impossible” to evict unwanted residents from Loch Ken.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have told the ‘News’ that North American Signal Crayfish will never be eradicated.

An infestation of the alien invaders is beginning to have an impact on tourism trade in the Glenkens.

Businesses are feeling the pinch as fishing groups cancel trips to the area.

Scottish Government environment minister, Michael Russell, is looking at the possibility of issuing licences that would see crayfish caught and disposed of.




Story continues

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And members of the Loch Ken management committee have put in place an action plan as they try and solve a problem dating back 12 years.


But Chris Miles, SNH area manager for Dumfries and Galloway, reckons they face an uphill task because crayfish are almost impossible to eradicate once they establish themselves in a particular location.


He said: “We are not the only people in Scotland grappling with this problem at the moment. There is a small population of crayfish in the River Tweed as well as the Clyde.


“The problem is once they are there, they are almost impossible to remove.


“Their behaviour sees them burrow into the banks. They also come in different sizes and you can get big ones as well as loads of small ones.


“You are unlikely to fish them all out with concentrated trapping. All you are going to get is containment.


“Loch Ken is a vast water and invasive alien species in an aquatic system are difficult to grapple with.


“You can’t see them in the water, they are mobile and they also have the ability to crawl on land.


“You allow these things to become established at your peril.”


Mr Miles added: “The best thing we can hope for is to reduce the population by trapping - but that costs a lot of money.


“You will catch a lot immediately and hopefully further monitoring will show a population decline.


“It is a great shame that this is having an impact on the tourism economy.


“But they are there to stay I am afraid.”


However, Castle Douglas and Glenkens councillor, Peter Duncan, said: “I don’t accept this pessimism.


“There may be in the future a more permanent solution found. The trapping will at least help us to contain numbers.”


The ‘News’ reported on March 6 that the Cross Keys Hotel in New Galloway had lost bookings worth £6,000 from a fishing group as a result of the crayfish problem.


Eddie Yates, chair of the Loch Ken management committee, supported the use of licences as a “short-term goal”.


He said: “Hopefully this will protect the interests of the fishing fraternity.


“In the long-term, there is research being done about possibly introducing predators.


“We are not sure how many licences will be granted but we are determined to try and solve this problem.”


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Galloway News News Article

[Nos4r2]

Well you live and learn :)

You would think that if they were that much of a problem, taking them for food would be encouraged.


What happened down here was apparently that once the bigger ones were removed the young didn't get eaten and the numbers multiplied several fold.
That and people were taking them for ponds and they were escaping. People were also putting them in aquariums and then when they realised how aggressive they are they were releasing them and infesting other water courses.

People can be very stupid. I suspect that's what they are trying to stop happening.

[CHEECH AND CHONG]

Was told by another fisherman from down near loch ken that a local restaurant/B&B has been done for removing the crays and cooking them up before these signs were put up saying 'do not remove'..

I think its still going through the courts just now he said. Be interesting to see what happens to them for removing vermin!!

Ridiculous if you ask me, and at £20 a kilo i'm tempted to start a one man mission to rid every burn/river/loch in the Uk of these wee buggers!!

Watched a thing on border news about crays and the environmental impact on the area. Some scientists want to use Scotlands (cray infested) rivers/lochs as testing areas for some new chemical what wipes out all crays. Not sure on what else is killed but somethings gonna have to be done fast before they spread right through the country like the have done in England.

[Nos4r2]

Was told by another fisherman from down near loch ken that a local restaurant/B&B has been done for removing the crays and cooking them up before these signs were put up saying 'do not remove'..

I think its still going through the courts just now he said. Be interesting to see what happens to them for removing vermin!!

Ridiculous if you ask me, and at £20 a kilo i'm tempted to start a one man mission to rid every burn/river/loch in the Uk of these wee buggers!!

Watched a thing on border news about crays and the environmental impact on the area. Some scientists want to use Scotlands (cray infested) rivers/lochs as testing areas for some new chemical what wipes out all crays. Not sure on what else is killed but somethings gonna have to be done fast before they spread right through the country like the have done in England.

Problem is, they aren't that wee! They can be up to 10" long and really agressive with it-even more so than green crabs. These things really are the drunk Millwall supporters of the water. A mate I was out with got a nip from one and it tore his nailbed open very deeply-the claws have sharp points facing towards each other.

The chemicals might be a good idea. Very little survives where red claws are-they kill and eat fish, but they can eat vegetation so can just kill everything they touch with impunity-and they do. They've ruined all the good river fishing down here.