If you’re interested in foraging for wild food then it’s highly likely that you’ve heard about the plight of the Signal crayfish in England. In this article we’ll take a look at a bit of the background story involving Signal crayfish, and then we’ll dive deep into how to catch them – including applying for a license, getting the traps, and most importantly finding a stretch of water in the UK* that contains the non-native crayfish.
*It’s worth noting that the situation in Scotland is very different to that of the rest of the UK – it is illegal to possess a live crayfish in Scotland. Anyone who witnesses the trapping or moving of crayfish is encouraged to report it to Police Scotland using the non-emergency 101 phone number, or online: Report Wildlife Crime – Police Scotland
Signal crayfish are not widespread in Scotland, so conservation efforts concentrate on preventing them from spreading, and eradicating them where it is possible, to protect our uninvaded waters.
Trapping signal crayfish in Scotland would likely make the problem far worse as traps tend to favour larger male individuals, removing natural predation within the population (the big ones cannibalise the small ones and can help keep the population in check) so leaving a younger, more readily reproducing population that spreads more quickly. Trapping will not control or eradicate a population, and commercial trapping or trapping for personal use is not permitted in Scotland. The NatureScot licensing team only issue licences for crayfish trapping under exceptional circumstances because the risk of encouraging their spread is so great. They only issue licenses for survey work to monitor the distribution and spread of signal crayfish in Scotland. They don’t issue licenses for the purpose of catching crayfish to eat because in addition to the problems above this also creates incentives for people to move them to new areas.
Background story of the Signal Crayfish – Why are they here?
This American Signal crayfish was introduced to the UK in the late 70’s as part of an aquaculture program to farm the crustacean to be used as a source of food.