American crayfish

[Old southern man]

I don't know if anyone has tried them !, they are really tasty, you do need to approach the environment agency for a license to be legal, with the application you have to show what type of net cages you are to use also,
The reason I say this is that I have just been refused a license stating that the American crayfish are not a threat in my area !!!, when recently we had a program on tv stating they were, has anyone had any problems in their area, I will continue to talk to the agency for more information and see where it gets me, if you like wild food you must try them

 

[Tank]

It may be that your area has native crays so they wont issue a licence.

 

[GGTBod]

I looked into this a while back and the biggest problem with eating the American invaders is you make the next generation of them even stronger, this is because they are cannibalistic in nature and consume huge amounts of the next generation keeping the numbers far lower than they would be if we caught a healthy chunk of the current adults, the American crayfish is a big problem up north here with the few remaining refuges of the white claw natives still resident up north here and we are not allowed to eat the Americans to try and control numbers as we make the next generation of their numbers a tenfold increase by removing their biggest predator.

 

[JonathanD]

If you clear them out and eat them, then there won't be enough for them to have a sustainable population like that. Plus they taste great.

 

[GGTBod]

Down where you are you can probably still get a license to trap them, only takes one female carrying hundreds of fertilised eggs to escape your cull and the problem is tenfold next season, even worse if she has just let the fry loose and then all the adults get swiped up and scoffed then there is nothing to scoff the fry and contain their numbers.

Those looking totally delicious i am salivating looking at your pics

 

[georann]

Wow Jon those are blummin huge! When I used to crayfish I caught things barely more than a king prawn- they're like lobsters!
Never had any trouble getting a license down my way though...

 

[JonathanD]

They are big fellas alright. Packed with meat.

 

[Old southern man]

Great photos, thanks for the info, the Environment agency has confirmed what you said especially on the particular river I wanted I was advised to find small local tributary to hunt in and then re- apply for that particular area and they would consider each area under its own merits

 

[GGTBod]

I applied 4 times and gave up as any other river was out of any sensible reaching zone without spending good money to get there and back. Apparently it was the encouragement to eat as many as you can in the south that truly established the invader population as the advice was followed enthusiastically to rid the waters of a tasty vermin ensuring hardly any adults left to eat the young every birthing season.

I really want a big pan of ones just like in Jonathans pics, reminds me of holidaying in Portugal as all i ate everyday fresh from the boats was different crustaceans, as the fishermen brought them in i followed them straight to the restaurants on the beach and grabbed a seat as they put all the live ones into a tank and onto the menu, still to this day never enjoyed so much good seafood but those Crays in your pics would not have been out of place on those menus

 

[Tank]

They are big fellas.

where they the ones I brought to RC?

 

[JonathanD]

They were AndyT's. But we ate them there

 

[Tank]

They were AndyT's. But we ate them there

Good times. Thats it, I did wonder if they were Andys beasts.

 

[Tank]

Great photos, thanks for the info, the Environment agency has confirmed what you said especially on the particular river I wanted I was advised to find small local tributary to hunt in and then re- apply for that particular area and they would consider each area under its own merits

What did the EA confirm?

 

[Old southern man]

I looked into this a while back and the biggest problem with eating the American invaders is you make the next generation of them even stronger, this is because they are cannibalistic in nature and consume huge amounts of the next generation keeping the numbers far lower than they would be if we caught a healthy chunk of the current adults, the American crayfish is a big problem up north here with the few remaining refuges of the white claw natives still resident up north here and we are not allowed to eat the Americans to try and control numbers as we make the next generation of their numbers a tenfold increase by removing their biggest predator.

This is what the EA confirmed to me, I think he was reading it from some sheet he had.

 

[Mandos]

how easy is it to apply for them can you find it all online i have a few rivers around here im sure there will be some in and can pick up cray nets at my fishing supplier for not alot ? any advice

 

[GGTBod]

I got the robotic response and policy paragraphs too, poor bloke sounded like he had said it a thousand times that day, i am sure i was not the only person who had seen the episode of the tv show which said we should eat as many american invaders as we could to protect the white claw species and that we should contact the EA for to get more info on how and where to do it

 

[GGTBod]

There used to be a phone number but it was about 2005 when i last applied

https://www.gov.uk/permission-to-trap-crayfish-eels-elvers-salmon-and-sea-trout

 

[Chrisa8170]

I have been crayfishing for 3+ years now with no issue, I'm sure I would find it frustrating not to be able to trap but you have to balance that with protecting the natives.
The EA have recently changed their conditions and in short the collapsable traps can no longer be used and they promote the trappy trap style. Last year I got nearly 8.5Kg of tail and claw meat. The family just love the free food, just at times it can be a bit of a chore to collect and rebait every day.

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

The EA an DEFRA could not find there rectums with both hands and a map and a guide. There is some places by mine (not the parks oddly) that are stuffed with the buggers! and flat out refuse to give me a licenseI and I have sent them pictures of ones I have caught while float fishing for perch an others I have picked up by hand from the bank. I suppose the local Carp boys have to cry long an hard more often before they take note.