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Anyone dive to collect freshwater Crayfish in the UK?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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I think if you got caught releasing Signal crawfish into UK waters you'd be in serious trouble. This whole thing with alien imported species isn't funny so just go back a couple of pages and get the suggested recipes. The other idea would be to pack them on ice and ship them to Scandinavia. The northerners absolutely love their crawfish.
 
Releasing certain non-native species (Signal Crayfish, Mink, and many others) is illegal in the UK, and this includes catch and release. If you catch one, you have to kill it or keep it in captivity.
 
Rite im off to bild me a trap...plus I found out that i dnt need a liecence in the area.....I hope thats not cause thers non to catch around bournemouth??????
 
SurfnSpear said:
Read all about it....
HERE
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot now it's all clear,so we are dealing with a not native english species of animal that everybody will be happy if we catch all of them and put them in a big pan for a nice dinner.I like it.Any idea where to find them around bristol?Dont mind if I've to travel for about one hour.
 
Reactions: Oldsarge
Tony, You won't believe where they are...most ponds, streams, rivers, ditches and canals. Pick one...put a trap out with the head and bones of one of your shot fish and see how you go. I have a friend who is catching 15cm ones regularly from a barely running ditch in a forest near his house. It's about 4ft across and about 10 inches deep. Get a a plastic box or old fish tank and a small water filter/pump for an aquarium and leave them to rinse for 24-48hours. Pluck them out and cook them!
 
Are they in nearly all the rivers in the UK? Im down in Kernow and havn't heard of anyone catching any locally. I saw the "River Cottage" series and Dorset seems the closest place to get them. Does anyone know of any places down in the deep south?
 
I doubt that anyone really knows where they've gotten to. The best way to find out would be to make up a cheap trap (instructions given earlier in this thread) and set it out with some fishscrap bait. Who knows, you could be the first in your area to feast on a Crawdad Boil!
 
naiad said:
Releasing certain non-native species (Signal Crayfish, Mink, and many others) is illegal in the UK, and this includes catch and release. If you catch one, you have to kill it or keep it in captivity.
Click to expand...
Yup - if you catch it you'd be breaking the law if you released it.
 
Ok then lets start to hunt that damn crayfish:martial ,give me some time to organize it all and I let you know how is it going.When the weather is to but for spearfishing it will be a good alternative to catch something edible.There is any rules about how many KG maximum weight to take with you?
 
Wweelll i never thought i could stuf my face and help save the inviroment.

Cray fish like still water so ponds and ditches are ideal.

A good bait is salarmy as its smell and tuff.
 
I think they need to be cleaned before cooking - a few days in a clean tank or bucket under a dripping tap will clean out the mud. Make sure they don't escape, as they can walk on land.
 
Put a lid on on the crate or whatever as they escaped from mine once climbing up the pump. They went to all the corners of a very full garage. When I moved I still found some perfectly dried out in the furthest corners. They did not smell though which was good!rofl Wife not impressed though...:rcard :t
 
naiad said:
I think they need to be cleaned before cooking - a few days in a clean tank or bucket under a dripping tap will clean out the mud. Make sure they don't escape, as they can walk on land.
Click to expand...
I heard similar advice given about crays caught on the Kennet & Avon canal. I'm told anything from the canal tastes of...canal! it could be a rural myth - I knew a school boy who used to regularly take large Perch to eat...probably illegal/against the rules even back then. However, our crays were caught in fresh running water, so we just cleaned them & cooked them. Although, as mentioned earlier, I would think Old Sarge's Crawdad recipe probably has sterilizing properties (lots of acrid lemon vapours & vast amounts of cayenne pepper boiled up should deal with most things!) -- the taste is good though, not as extreme as you might think from the ingredients & vapours given off.
 
stumbled across this thread and instantly became hungry. Are you guys still catching these little devils they look amasingly tastey.

Anyone caught these down devon area? I sure hope they down this way
 
Just found this thread and thought I'd add my bit......

I am a professional crayfish trapper (there are not many of us around), working hundreds of acres of water in the UK removing signal crayfish for angling clubs, conservation bodies etc. They cause huge amounts of damage to banks, water quality, fish stocks etc that they need to be removed but the key to doing it effectively is to remove ALL sizes of crayfish caught, not just the big ones.

The reason trapping is not granted ad hoc is that in areas where they are not well established, they control their own numbers to a certain extent so to allow trapping of large males (the predatory ones) would enable them to spread quicker. Talk of 50 in a trap per night is not exaggeration-it is not uncommon for me to catch well over 100 per trap per night but liver is not the best bait.

Crayfish plague is an infection, totally harmless to humans and a part of the natural flora and fauna of non-native crayfish, however, it is fatal to native crayfish and will entirely wipe them out in the end I fear. (I only know of 2 specific places containing white-clawed crayfish)

The Signal crayfish is not the only non-native species in the UK, there are 5 in total and I believe I am right in saying that I am the only person in the country to have a license from CEFAS to hold them all.

I hope I can help with any queries you might have!

Regards,

Ben
 
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Reactions: spaghetti
Well, lads and lassies, you heard the man. Catch and eat all of them! I'll even bet the little ones taste better.
 
Welcome Ben. (What bait does work best -- or is that a trade secret?! Sardines work pretty well).
 
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