Conserving Britain’s Waterways
Click images below to view gallery
As lockdown goes on, we have been unable to return to our project zone in West Africa. As such, we have turned our attention to how we can improve our local environment using our conservation products!
Scientists believe signal crayfish to be one of the worst invasive species ever to hit our freshwater systems. Their ability to “crawl considerable distances” out of water and “climb substantial heights,” allows them to colonise new stretches of water at a rapid rate annually. The species is also much larger and much more aggressive than our own local crayfish and their extensive tunnelling displaces endangered water voles from their riverbank homes.
Their tunnelling can also destabilise banks, causing erosion and bank collapse, increasing flood risk and the silt load in the water.
By law, signal crayfish caught in British waterways are to be destroyed on site. Many establishments actually promote the consumption of them in restaurants and the like in order to reduce their population. We’re working with Crayfish Bob from Crayaway, an organisation that deals with the environmental problems caused by the rapid spread of the American signal crayfish through UK waters.
By using this species as our new source of crayfish, we are also doing our bit to protect the endemic life of our waterways.
Check out the photos from our day of crayfishing with Bob, or visit our Store if you are interested in our Wild Crayfish Kuli Kuli Dog Treats!
Click images to view
