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Warning issued over 'severe and increasing' threat to native crayfish species

Ireland holds one of the largest populations of the globally endangered white-clawed crayfish.

A WARNING HAS been re-issued to all water users in Ireland about the “severe and increasing” threat to the native crayfish species. 

The warning has been issued by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht’s National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), along with the Marine Institute.

Ireland holds one of the largest populations of the globally endangered white-clawed crayfish. 

This threat comes from the twin impact of disease and invasive alien species.

The warning comes after the confirmation this spring of crayfish plague on the River Maigue, upstream of Adare, Co Limerick.

This is the seventh river affected by the disease.  It is predicted the disease will wipe out the crayfish from the river system, according to the Department. 

The NPWS has also been made aware of a stock of a non-native crayfish being held in an aquarium. The animals which were voluntarily handed over were marbled crayfish.  The keeping, selling and breeding of this species is banned under recent legislation.

The service has confirmed that a population of a non-native crayfish species has been found for the first time in the wild in Ireland.

“There has always been a concern that non-native crayfish species may become established in Ireland and this has now been confirmed by the discovery of a population of an Australian Crayfish, the Yabby, Cherax destructor,” the Department said in a statement.

The site is not being disclosed at this time.

“The discovery of the non-native crayfish species in the wild is of concern as this has never been found before in Ireland. Although the species is one we would not have predicted, it presents us with a greater challenge of eradicating the species,” Brian Nelson, invertebrate ecologist with the NPWS said.

“We would like to emphasise the growing threat that alien invasive species are having on biodiversity in Ireland and globally and we urge everyone to think carefully and help in its prevention,” he said. 

“For the most invasive species, there is now specific legislation in place which bans possession and keeping and gives the NPWS powers to seize specimens and eradicate them from the wild.”

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    Mute Donal Mac Cormaic
    Favourite Donal Mac Cormaic
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    May 20th 2019, 5:33 PM

    Very sad news, reflecting once more another loss of Ireland’s biodiversity. For years Ireland was free of the dreaded crayfish plague, a fungus. Mass mortality of our only native fresh water crayfish is the result of this plague. By the way, the accompanying photograph to the article looks like marine Dublin Bay prawns (Nephrops norvegicus) rather than the freshwater white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) which is the subject of the article.

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    Mute Donnacha Bhoicaire
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    May 20th 2019, 8:54 PM

    @Donal Mac Cormaic: Hats off you know your Crayfish sir !

    31
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    Mute Des Hanrahan
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    May 20th 2019, 5:35 PM

    Part of the problem is that the law about the sale of Crayfish in pet shops is not being enforced . I have often seen them for sale but when you mention it to staff you just get an indifferent shrug . A few heavy fines would change that attitude .

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    Mute Darren Byrne
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    May 20th 2019, 6:30 PM

    @Des Hanrahan: Have you ever reported it

    31
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    Mute Sean
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    May 20th 2019, 6:57 PM

    @Des Hanrahan: do they make good pets? I wouldn’t have thought so.

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    Mute Jack
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    May 20th 2019, 7:29 PM

    What about our poor red squirrel doesn’t get look in almost gone from our wood lands

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    Mute IRL77
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    May 20th 2019, 10:49 PM

    @Jack: we can always just paint a grey one red!

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    Mute Grainnewhale
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    May 20th 2019, 11:57 PM

    @Jack: I think they are on the way back from what I hear in the Virginia area of Cavan anyway.

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    Mute Chemical Brothers
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    May 20th 2019, 8:23 PM

    Surprised they not extinct from the Grand Canal at the rate Eastern Europeans are poaching.

    Saw some lads with a LIDL bag full of crayfish at Ardclough alas the Inland Fisheries hotline just rang out.

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    Mute Sean
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    May 20th 2019, 7:02 PM

    I was in a pub in Galway on Saturday and it was full of native crawfish propping up the bar. I said to one of them hey fella I thought you were heading towards extinction and he says I’m halfway there alright and turned back to skull a tray full of eight whiskey shots laid down by the octopus barman. I didn’t want to risk antagonizing him any further because he had himself surrounded by mussels so I made my excuses and left. The place was a bit of a dive at any rate.

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    Mute Cupid Stunt
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    May 20th 2019, 9:00 PM

    Using a picture of a box of prawns says it all!

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    Mute Adrianh_80
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    May 20th 2019, 5:22 PM

    I am only finding out about this now …

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    Mute George Salter
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    May 20th 2019, 8:47 PM

    No-one seems to care or comment that several of our “native” species are, in fact, invasive, but we have became used to them- rabbits, rats, most deer, probably house mice, many birds. Similarly, our former wolves, beavers, possibly lynx and bear, and eagles, are largely ignored for reintroduction/revival.

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    Mute Chemical Brothers
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    May 20th 2019, 11:23 PM

    @George Salter: include homo sapiens

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    Mute Daniel
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    May 21st 2019, 6:59 AM

    That’s a pic of Dublin bay prawns, a marine species. Lazy.
    These non native crayfish spices have been sold in Ireland for years with absolutely no interference from NPWS who were fully aware of the situation. It is literally written in the scientific literature regarding this very problem, the paper monitors the sale of non native crayfish in Ireland over one year with the author stating they contacted NPWS to inform them of the problem.

    Go to done deal now and search “crayfish” you’ll probably find some for sale.

    Anyway the poor thing is hooped as NPWS has done FA to save it.

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    Mute Colm Molloy
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    May 20th 2019, 5:22 PM

    Oh dear, let’s ask the English what they think, foreign species plague the rivers over there..
    Get letters out to all aquariums and pet shops and restaurants and inform the public.. No farming of any kind should be tolerated..
    What’s the story about the invasive mussel species we have too dies anyone know?

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    Mute jamesdecay
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    May 20th 2019, 6:11 PM

    @Colm Molloy: zebra mussels still a big problem I’m afraid.

    21
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