Origin and History of White Clawed Crayfish
Also known as Atlantic stream, the white clawed crayfish is native to the UK. It escaped from fish farms and entered UK in the 1970s. It is olive-green to brown in color and is up to 12 centimeters in length. It has underside claws that are off-white to pinkish in color. The females have wider abdomens and males have larger claws. Today, it has become of the most endangered animals because its numbers has declined. Moreover water pollution in rivers and degradation of various water habitats are also a few reasons of it being decline. Once widespread in the UK these species would be on the verge of extinction within the next 30 years if proper actions are not taken. Lakes, rivers and streams that are fresh oxygenated have these species in large numbers. They are extremely useful when it comes to understanding ecological status of water bodies.
In July 2005, it was witnessed that the impact of crayfish plague spread widely that wiped out them in less than 10-12 days. There was an increase in the population of invasive American signal crayfish that were aggressive and carried a plague that had adverse effects on native white clawed crayfish. This plague was difficult to identify. Almost 95% of the white clawed crayfish lay dead on the bottom of the river. Controlling the plague to spread is still ineffective and so an action has been taken to safeguard these species by locating them at places that are safe and where chances of spreading plague are least low.
It is said that South Peak Estate is one of those sites and ecology consultant from different places are working hard for setting up a coffer so that they can remove the population. A number of species are being relocated to an isolated place where they can have a proper breeding population. The reason behind establishing this is that even if a time comes when the main population is wiped out there'll be a place where population of white clawed crayfish would be available.
A team of ecology consultants are currently working with local BAP partnership. They are working hard by supporting various surveys and bringing awareness that will help everyone understand the importance of protecting these species. Below listed are a few objectives that behind this plan:
- To maintain the existing population and prevent further fragmentation.
- Increase the strength of white clawed crayfish at the targeted sites.
- Spreading awareness among people by conducting appropriate surveys and monitoring them.
- Promoting the importance and need of the crayfish.
A good ecology consultant working with a licensed ecological consultancy can be of great health when it comes to conducting surveys on white clawed crayfish and their mitigation. Some consultancies in UK also conduct night time searches by using torch. The period starting from mid July to end of September is considered as the best time for conducting the survey. This is the phase when the flow of river is slow. A good ecological consultancy uses various mitigation techniques.
