catching signal crayfish
- Thread starter m.durston
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Well, my application has been received and has been passed to the man in charge locally. They've forwarded his details should I wish to discuss it/ask for more information.
We will see.
Well, an update.
I had a very quick and helpful response from the local man at the Environment Agency. Basically, my application for removing crays for personal consumption has been turned down as the specific stretch of river I requested is a hot spot for the native crays (and that's obviously fair enough, the whole idea is to improve their chances so I don't want to tamper with that) - he did however recommend some specific stretches of water where the EA are aware that the signal crays have basically taken over. He said if I wanted to proceed with my application based on those stretches of water he would get the application through ASAP.
Very helpful, very quick, just a shame the river that is almost on my back doorstep is a no-go.
I had a very quick and helpful response from the local man at the Environment Agency. Basically, my application for removing crays for personal consumption has been turned down as the specific stretch of river I requested is a hot spot for the native crays (and that's obviously fair enough, the whole idea is to improve their chances so I don't want to tamper with that) - he did however recommend some specific stretches of water where the EA are aware that the signal crays have basically taken over. He said if I wanted to proceed with my application based on those stretches of water he would get the application through ASAP.
Very helpful, very quick, just a shame the river that is almost on my back doorstep is a no-go.
I never knew you need a licence to catch signal crays .
When I was a pub chef the local fishing folk and farmers used to set out traps.
And I would cook them up as bar snacks .
I think it is a joke that we would need a licence to catch something so detrimental to our native water life .
When I was a pub chef the local fishing folk and farmers used to set out traps.
And I would cook them up as bar snacks .
I think it is a joke that we would need a licence to catch something so detrimental to our native water life .
What with the native crayfish being so rare, the licensing is really just to stop people scoffing them by accident.
That's a good point but surely it would be better to educate rather than go the licensing route. And probably cheaper all round .
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Yes a crabline will work with a bit of spam . But less productive than a pot with a tin of cat food with holes in it 
. As for berks , bucks area . I am in Basingstoke so just down the road and I know reading waters have many .
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. As for berks , bucks area . I am in Basingstoke so just down the road and I know reading waters have many .Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
There's another huge issue, quite apart from the legal permission to fish, one; there's a disease carried by some populations of the signal crayfish and it destroys the native crayfish. Restricting the cross pollution of one site to another is vital in the attempts to curb the disease.
So someone wandering around collecting from all over the place and not decontaminating kit is actually a disease vector and potentially responsible for wiping out the native crayfish.
cheers,
Toddy
So someone wandering around collecting from all over the place and not decontaminating kit is actually a disease vector and potentially responsible for wiping out the native crayfish.
cheers,
Toddy
Post #64. You need a license, and will get good advice on avoiding becoming a disease vector from the Environment Agency.
Personally I think they taste awful and muddy. Give me a decent sea caught scampi anyday.
You aren't seasoning them right. Use loads of Cajun seasoning in the boil:
Start by bringing about 3 to 4 gallons of water to a rolling boil and adding a minimum of a half cup (a full cup is better) of good Cajun Crab Boil seasoning (my favorite is Zararain's) and three or 4 onions (cut in halves) When water is boiling, add:
-A pound of New Potatoes
-A dozen ears of Corn on the Cob
-2 pounds of live Crawfish
-A half dozen Lemons or Limes (cut in halves)
Let boil for about 10-15 minutes and drain and spread the whole thing out loosely on the table (be sure to cover the table with newspaper or craft paper first)
Surround the table with people and enjoy.
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LOL. It's a random pic, but they are great this way; a commonunity crawfish boil just like a crab boil, etc.
They are when done this way. Nice65 had a valid point if they're cooked plain. They need the heavy seasoning. And the festive mood when cooking in quantity like this for a group is hard to beat.
Another good way to eat them is cooked into etoufee. I've never cooked it myself but it's delicious when I've had it from others. The restaurants aren't giving up their recipes but here's a recipe I found online (be advised, when they sy crawfish tails, they mean tails that have already been peeled) www.crawfish.com/crawfish-etouffee
Another good way to eat them is cooked into etoufee. I've never cooked it myself but it's delicious when I've had it from others. The restaurants aren't giving up their recipes but here's a recipe I found online (be advised, when they sy crawfish tails, they mean tails that have already been peeled) www.crawfish.com/crawfish-etouffee
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Good to see that Worcestershire sauce has made it to the bayous.
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It's been over here while; over a century at least. But most Americans still can't pronounce it right. LOL
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