Crayfish -

[Vagabond]

Came across the following by chance.

 

http://angling-guru.info/using-crayfish-as-bait

 

Comments ? Bearing in mind current legislation.

 

Although the advice sounds like something from the 1960s, it was posted in 2011

 

 

Whilst on crayfish...

 

There was a TV programme recently (Countryfile, I think) in which someone was posturing about anglers spreading Signal Crayfish eggs by wet nets, wet waders, etc etc and coming out with "Anglers could provide the solution to this alien invasion by cleaning and drying their gear carefully after each trip"

 

As if anglers are the only creatures that get wet !

 

Perhaps this countryside expert could arrange to equip all our aquatic mammals and birds with curry combs and hair dryers to help them get clean and dry.

[terry t shirt]

If only the critters were that small the crayfish i've caught in the ouse are 6"+ , far to big to be used as bait.

For what is an invasive species (signals) The law once again is an ass in that they cant be netted or controlled.

[BobH]

The British White Crayfish is a protected species, it's the American Signal Crayfish which are running amuck in so many British venues.

 

And the crazy law about needing a licence to trap them defies believe ?

 

The only thing good about is the size of the Chub and Perch they have been responsible for and how they taste !!

 

Bob

[BobH]

The British White Crayfish is a protected species, it's the American Signal Crayfish which are running amuck in so many British venues.

 

And the crazy law about needing a licence to trap them defies believe ?

 

The only thing good about is the size of the Chub and Perch they have been responsible for and how they taste !!

 

Bob

[chesters1]

Came across the following by chance.

 

http://angling-guru.info/using-crayfish-as-bait

 

Comments ? Bearing in mind current legislation.

 

Although the advice sounds like something from the 1960s, it was posted in 2011

 

 

Whilst on crayfish...

 

There was a TV programme recently (Countryfile, I think) in which someone was posturing about anglers spreading Signal Crayfish eggs by wet nets, wet waders, etc etc and coming out with "Anglers could provide the solution to this alien invasion by cleaning and drying their gear carefully after each trip"

 

As if anglers are the only creatures that get wet !

 

Perhaps this countryside expert could arrange to equip all our aquatic mammals and birds with curry combs and hair dryers to help them get clean and dry.

Trouble is crayfish eggs are glued to mrs crayfish bodies ,i trap them and lots are carrying eggs in the autumn but to date never seen loose ones in the bucket ,the female also guards the young for two moults by this time they are self sufficiant

As its illegal to put crayfish back in the water using them as bait would therefore illegal ,not sure about preserved ones but i guess its the same,as the whiteclaw is protected splashing about with your landing net is unlawfull with crayfish in mind .

The rules about licencing is stupid ,have an open season on ponds and lakes and only insist on a licence on rivers and streams where the whiteclaw could still exist ,there is no difficulty in telling the difference even really young signals have red claws

The traps are also badly designed (at least the clamshell ones i use) the gaps are to far apart so you never catch the small ones under about an inch ,i presume they are designed for commercial use where small crays have no value and left to grow on?

Crays dont need anglers to move like eels they travel about quite happily by themselves

I see the comments are not allowed ,probably mr guru being told he was ignorant of the law and inciting people to catch crayfish and making the stupid remark signals were introduced to replace the now rare whiteclaws deliberately got up his nose?

Edited January 23, 2015 by chesters1

[philocalist]

Hi Vagabond - always like reading what you have to say on a topic, and this one is no exception, BUT ... it may be worth taking into consideration that the embedded video appears to have originated on t'other side of the Atlantic, courtesy of Italo Labignan, the host of Canadian Sportfishing, and the author of the article has taken what is said on there as Gospel :-)

[grayson]

There was an excellent section of Winterwatch on this subject this week , showing a beck which had been completely infested with crayfish - to the extent that the entire biomass was self predating crays. Hideous. The Angling Trust was involved and came out very well - and as anglers are absolutely part of the problem we are also part of the solution . The daft comment above about our not being the sole agent in spreading crays just illustrates the age old problem of anglers criticising everything and doing bugger all about it- I hope I am not the only one who disinfects my waders? I fish a local beck which is crawling with crays- and I fish lots of other places which are free of them and the last thing I want to do is spread them to a water with only white claws.

[chesters1]

Humans are the sole agents anglers are not there is a difference ,like mink they were farmed for commercial reasons not pleasure .

As i said the eggs are stuck to the females as mr crayfish would eat them so unless you spent your days deliberately stamping on the buggers it would be hard to dislodge them ,once the egg is stuck its no longer sticky after a while so not an issue of accidental cross contamination.if disease from signals was introduced (highly unlikely scenario from anglers equiptment) rather than an infestation of signals the natives would disapear ,signals do not breed or move via disease!

As i said like eels crays have no problem migrating ,your signal free areas are numbered they will be found one dark rainy night

Rather than anglers not doing anything about it 99% of anglers hands are tied by government ,its been left to late to catch up with easier licencing now pandoras box was opened and propped open by the EA

Are you going to suggest anglers deliberately introduced mink and mitten crabs next? I have never seen agents of clubs unloading boxes of either on the bank and joyfully shooing them to freedom

We all know that certain fish "move" secretly but someone wants them in a place they are not ,i doubt though clandestine specimin hunters encourage critters that they will not want to catch

If your beck is teeming with crays i trust you have a licence to trap them or is it everyones elses responsibility to catch them ,kettle calling pot black?

 

Myself i send crays to their death every single day (not so many in winter when theyre sleeping) i presume you do the same after all according to you its anglers (and you are one) solely responsible for introducing them and i presume solely responsible for removing them ,i am doing my bit ..you?

 

The blame is down to the EA solely for allowing them to be imported ,no cage of any type is 100% secure and the EA is to blame for not using logic or history (the coypu is a fine example) lay your bile at their feet not anglers

Edited January 23, 2015 by chesters1

[grayson]

If you can be bothered to read what I said rather than what you would like me to have said then you might realise I was making the perfectly reasonable point that anglers can help by not spreading crayfish eggs unwittingly . Obviously you are a self appointed expert in all matters relating to alien species and so I really cannot be arsed to dignify the rest of your ramblings with a reply

[chesters1]

If you can be bothered to read what I said rather than what you would like me to have said then you might realise I was making the perfectly reasonable point that anglers can help by not spreading crayfish eggs unwittingly . Obviously you are a self appointed expert in all matters relating to alien species and so I really cannot be arsed to dignify the rest of your ramblings with a reply

"The daft comment above about our not being the sole agent in spreading crays just illustrates the age old problem of anglers criticising everything and doing bugger all about it- I hope I am not the only one who disinfects my waders?"

 

Quote the SOLE agent in spreading crays ,can i see your pictures of thousands of anglers carrying buckets of crays throughout the country and releasing them please

You really need to switch on your brain before opening your mouth ,i trap both mink and crays ,do you or are you just

 

having an opinion

 

Why do crays guard their eggs and young for two (3 infact!) moults ,because their vunerable to every swimming thing until then ,one or two eggs on a boot are not natures best form of transferring crays ,they walk they swim and they follow streams ,the reason there not in some places is purely they are remote or theres a barrier crays cannot get ,they eventually will perhaps you can blame canoeists as well?

 

As i said i am doing my bit what exactly are you doing in removing them ,calling washing waders is removing crays is the same as a person who cannot drive saying they are helping the ozone layer by not driving

I remove hundreds of crays a week in the summer how many stick to your shiny waders and end up dead?

 

No i am not an expert on invasive species theres to many ,i base my post on experience ,in 4 years catching thousands of crays i have never found an egg stuck to anything but its mother ,never seen an egg fall off ,never found one in the bucket i collect them in and never found a sticky one even on its mother as a sticky eggs would glue up the little legs on the cray ,they are sticky long enough to stick together then the glue sets so sticking to your waders a highly unlikely scenario unless you stood on a female laying eggs at the time

Edited January 23, 2015 by chesters1