Course: Crayfish Conservation and Management

The White-clawed Crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) is the only native species of crayfish in the UK. Unfortunately, it is now seriously threatened both nationally and globally, being listed as Endangered on the IUCN red list and protected under the CRoW Act 2000. It is threatened not only by habitat loss and declining water quality but also by the American Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) due to competition and the transmission of a deadly disease, crayfish plague. Signal crayfish also cause major adverse effects on other invertebrates, fish and plant communities as well as riverbank erosion and sedimentation.

This presentation will consider management strategies and conservation initiatives to protect native populations. We will discuss how you can turn your survey data into a management plan. This includes:

• Interpreting and sharing your crayfish survey data
• Establishing effective conservation actions for White-clawed Crayfish
• Considering management of invasive crayfish species
• Planning ongoing surveys and monitoring

At the end of the session, learners should have a better understanding of conservation and invasive species management actions for crayfish in the UK.

The 90-minute event will consist of a 1-hour presentation followed by a Q&A with the tutor using questions provided by the live audience.

The presentations will be recorded and shared with those who booked alongside Q&A transcripts and relevant links following the event via a password-protected website.