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Signal crayfish

Micky, I'm pretty certain that means live bait, just in case they escape.
 
Pete Marshall said:
The EA statement on trapping


I have never seen any advice from the EA saying that anglers shouldn't kil signal crayfish....where did that come from? They are a non native species , not covered by the WCA and as far as I know can be removed (indeed should be removed) if caught accidentally. The conserns about trapping is that it also catches the native crayfish which is an essential part of the river system. Fish can't just live on boilies you know....although on some waters this may sadly be the case!!! They taste really good irrespective of the water they are caught in (you do boil the beggers after all) so don't let them go to waste. A quick trip to a pan of boiling water on the bankside, mash 'em with some mayo and crayfish sandwiches for lunch. What do you mean you don't take a pan of boiling water and mayonaise with you fishing? You will be forgetting the chilled white wine next.
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I was sure that a few years back i had seen advice written by the EA that removing and killing them was forbidden without a license, or words to that effect, My memory may have crossed the wires, and it may have been the rule of removing them and using them for bait that i'm getting confused with,
but i like Pete i can't find anything now that says you can't kill them.
So Crooky i stand corected on that point:eek:
Thanks to Pete for pointing out my error.

Luckily the Loddon where i do most of my fishing, hasn't got many, though a mate of my caught one back in the autumn which he estimated to be about 10" long, so they are there, the silly so and so just threw it up the bank, so it was probably back in the river within minutes. :(
 
If you click on my Kill 'em link above, you will see how to go about catching them. The link does stress that you need permission from the EA. In most of the Southern Waters I can't see that being much of a problem (as there are hardly any native Crayfish left) But here in the Midlands were there are still a few natives and the unwelcome visitors are starting to arrive it gets more complex. The real risk is that by setting traps for them we also catch the few remaining natives.
It is a really serious problem and not just because signal crayfish take anglers baits. A whole native species is being wiped out because of thoughtless practises by commercial interests in introducing yet another non native species.
We anglers can do our best, keep the EA informed when the beasties are spotted on new waters, keeping the EA informed if native crayfish are also spotted and removing and killing any signal crayfish we come across.
We also need to be careful about spreading the plague they carry. Washing tackle, boots etc. when moving from waters containing signal crayfish to waters which don't...especially important if visiting Eire where they haven't yet got the infection.
 
Well said Pete, i couldn't agree more !

Regards
Ian.

Edit....... I think the battle if it can be, will only be won by the scientists, and biologists who i believe are already on the case.
There are massive problems though, and i doubt whether a solution will be forthcoming anytime soon.
They are apparently researching into introducing a selective virus that will kill them ( the Signals ) in much the same way the disease they carry has killed our native species.
Like the introduction of Myxomatosis into the Rabbit population in the 50's though, unless they can guarentee to wipe them all out, a few years down the road will see a new population of signals resistant to the virus. I guess they must be very aware of those lessons though.

I think that these critters will be with us for good now. Massive and persistant trapping will only help control their numbers.
One of the things about allowing commercial trapping, cynical as i am, is that people making a living out of it may be tempted to seed other rivers, and lakes, with them in order to ensure a viable population to harvest, - illegal farming if you like, we're caught between the devil and the deep blue sea i think. !!
Lets hope the scientists willcome up trumps, - don't hold your breath !
 
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try the tail as a bait
A good bait for bass I believe, so much so that I believe that they have been banned in sea fishing matches!
 
I usually take them home in a bucket of fresh water and leave them for 24 hours to let the clean water flush them out before cooking.

I also thought using them as bait wasn't allowed, but I did read somewhere that you should return the very big males as they will cannibalise the small ones.

STEVE
 
Steve Parish said:
I also thought using them as bait wasn't allowed, but I did read somewhere that you should return the very big males as they will cannibalise the small ones.

STEVE
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I think that deadbaiting with them back in the water you have taken them from shouldn't be a problem. Live bait (they can get off) would be out of order and dead baiting on a presently unaffected water would also be a big no no as I would assume even when the things are dead the plague bacteria wouldn't be so...but I don't know for sure.
In the "olden" days alive native cray was absolutely deadly bait, I must admit to having used them. But no more i am afraid!
 
Steve I don't think you would need to worry about them being in the Severn but if they got into the Teme that would be a different matter. A river the size of the middle to lower Severn will sustain them with know real impact on stocks.....it may increase the size of the barbel and chub. The upper Severn may be impacted on though like the Teme with lower, declining stocks and those steep muddy banks on a smaller river are a recipe for disaster, all you can do is hope they don't like the flow!

I had the pleasure of being invited to an EA presentation on cray fish....to be honest I almost fell asleep, the EA have no real funding to deal with cray fish and merely record and monitor their spread which is relentless through mainly phd students studying them. Some bits were interesting and signals aren't the only ones around there's a few other species that are turning up and intersting studies on the way they effect chub stocks, chub being in direct conflict with signals as they share very similar diets.

It comes down to the fact that no country has ever got rid of them and the likelyhood of a cure is highly unlikely and seeing my local small rivers being destroyed by them it's not nice but something you have to get used to cause it looks like they're here to stay.

The only positive thing is they taste nice and that's about it

Cheers
Jason
 
Beany !! you made it over, - well done nice to see you :D

I'd agree with everything there, except i would worry about them wherever they are including the Severn.

Funding is always the problem - for everything in this country :mad:

I could elaborate on that, but i'll keep my mouth shut, it'll be going nowhere fast.

Regards
Ian.
 
Ian you know me....you can't keep a good idiot down ;) !

Sad to say but I'm a bit of a signal expert...just looking at where they like to live around Oxford you get a good idea what makes them tick....steep muddy banks and an even flow they love and they're not to keen on gravel...they just love digging holes and making the banks collapse as you perhaps well know on your waters....I think they'll collinise the Severn but on the middle it will be pretty much like what happens on Port Meadow on the Medley section wher they just can't get a big enough foot hold due to the river being wide and fast with to much gravel for them toget their claws into...they'll hang around the edges where the steeper muddy banks are which will make it a pain but the river is healthy enough to sustain them pretty much like most of the Thames....smaller tributaries a different matter and it seems to just to come down to the size of the river. Around Oxford anyway

Typical innit just got used to using yuku...and i've got to learn how to use this now !

Cheers
Jason
 
Hi men ,

I got some advice from the EA . Trapping will help angling in the short term , as long as its kept on top of , but its a bit like removing large pike , you sometimes end up with a larger amount of smaller ones . Lucky for me that the stretch we are fishing has a real trapper , giving it a good go .

The EA did have the answer , the call it " arking " . Its where the choose a water , and kill everything in it , and start over again . Not a option on rivers though .


Hatter
 
It's one of those funny things where the EA will be surprised to hear it but on the other hand I think it makes the worry that it's another problem on top of all the problems they are facing with no real way of dealing with.... on top of the things that are in the back log of the things that aint been dealt with....bit long winded but I think that's the way they work...bit like all the ooh's umm's a and ah's you get when you call a plumber out...

And Steve didnt you see me on your boat when you were trawling for zander on the Avon....you knocked me off me seat with the wash !

Cheers and good to converse with you again.... happy new year

Jason

PS never caught a zander before so I know where to come for for advice now
 
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Jason, remember that because theres little if any effect on current barbel stocks in a river that it doesnt mean the crays are not having an effect, its the future generations that will tell the tale mate, after most of the fish eggs have been eaten by the clawed mass....j.w
 
John not sure on that one....it seems to me it's one big equation

You could perhaps make an equation out that would determin the bio mass of signals in a river...dependant on it's physical structure, aquaculture and flow rate...

Time for me to go to bed I thinks

Nite
Jason
 
Jason Bean said:
And Steve didnt you see me on your boat when you were trawling for zander on the Avon....you knocked me off me seat with the wash !

Cheers and good to converse with you again.... happy new year

Jason

PS never caught a zander before so I know where to come for for advice now
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I haven't seen anyone else fishing, while out on my boat... which is the way I like it.

Steve
 
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