Perils of catching the wrong crayfish

[jack by the hedge]

Saw this today on the BBC site about a man fined £4000 for catching the wrong type of crayfish.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/8618142.stm

I guess this is the reason you have to get a license from the environment agency.

JBTH

[Ratbag]

Saw this today on the BBC site about a man fined £4000 for catching the wrong type of crayfish.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/8618142.stm

I guess this is the reason you have to get a license from the environment agency.

JBTH

This is the reason you need to know what species you're trapping! Hope he's not a member on here...

Rat

[scubapauly]

Silly boy. You need to do your research before you just jump in and do these things.

[Adze]

Yeah - not good. As has been said - DO YOUR RESEARCH! Not just with regard to correct identification, but about local populations and what is likely to be found where. There's so few signals in Cumbria it's actually worth saying there aren't any - which means don't trap crays in Cumbria really, since you're going to be catching the wrong ones!

There are a few posts on here about trapping/catching/eating crays - few of them mention quite how serious the fines are for taking the wrong ones.

40 whiteclaw crays and a £4k fine. That's a hundred quid a cray - hope they tasted nice!

[tytek]

I didn't realise the law was harder on crayfish trappers than burglers, car theives, rapists and child molestors who seem to get away with a telling off.

OK he shouldn't have done it but £4000???

[craeg]

I didn't realise the law was harder on crayfish trappers than burglers, car theives, rapists and child molestors who seem to get away with a telling off.

OK he shouldn't have done it but £4000???

I couldn't agree more. It seems like his stupidty and lack of research have ended up with him getting an over the top fine. It said in the report that he was a salesman. I wonder if the magistrate would have dealt out a similar fine if it had been a ****************** Probably not!!

[Glydr]

I wonder if the magistrate would have dealt out a similar fine if it had been a *****************? Probably not!!

Mate, I'm on the dole, not particularly happy about being out of work, I want to work but theres nothing about my way at the moment, sorry if you think I'm scrounging, but bushcraft cant pay the electric to power my computer to reply to this thread.

[FreddyFish]

Saw this today on the BBC site about a man fined £4000 for catching the wrong type of crayfish.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/8618142.stm

I guess this is the reason you have to get a license from the environment agency.

JBTH

From what is have read, one of the main reasons is so you only get permission to trap where the locals aint living.

[_scorpio_]

he is talking about those who cant be bothered to try and find work and just scrounge of taxpayers rather than those actually trying to find work and not just saying 'yea i tried once or twice' or 'i will next week' and then not bothering.

[EdS]

should of contact EA first of all.

T obe honest you are unlikely to get a trapping licence for anywhere north of the Trent

[maddave]

Please keep the thread pertinent and try not to bring social stereotyping into the forum guys...

Thanks

[badgeringtim]

In relation to the 'over the top fine', it might be worth considdering that this is the most likely species to become extinct within its natural habitat the UK in the near future - very likely within the next 20 years. Not only that but this chap could have introduced signal pluage - which has been known to destroy whole populations and completely irradicate the natives from huge streaches of river systems.

Thats why the fine is per individual animal, it makes it nesesairily proportional and actually could have been significantly higher if the book was fully thrown at him (up to
£5K per Crayfish i believe, but have not checked).

Its as often decent people who are not fully informed as uncaring numpties who cause these types of mishaps. A simply enquiry to the EA would have prevented his prosecution and that trapping ANY crayfish is licencable is very well known and freely available in public information, so sorry i thinks its a very reasonable fine and nice to see the law actually being enforced.

[tytek]

Where would you stand if you laid a trap for eels and accidently caught a signal crayfish. You'd be breaking the law if you put it back.

[EdS]

yes you would but you would even more so be breaknig the law having unlicenced eel traps. All in land fish trapping requires licence from the EA and land owners permission.

And eels are now classed as endangered - especially up this way.

Easiest way is just go and lift rocks by hand, not trap or rod licence required. However, make very sure know what you are looking for as whilest some river stretches are wick with signals other close by area are nationally improtant hotspots for the natives ie the R Wharfe.