Wildlife

Wild Freshwater Crayfish Native Welfare

Native white-clawed crayfish are critically endangered from disease and competition, with welfare and conservation management intertwined.

Key Facts

White-clawed crayfish are the UK's only native crayfish species and are critically endangered
American signal crayfish introduced in the 1970s carry crayfish plague lethal to native species
Signal crayfish are stronger competitors that outcompete natives for food and shelter
Ark site creation in isolated waterways provides disease-free refugia for native populations

Welfare Considerations

Native crayfish dying from crayfish plague experience rapid, fatal systemic infection. The elimination of entire populations by introduced plague represents a welfare emergency at population scale. Ark site management protecting populations from plague contact provides welfare protection for surviving native crayfish.

What You Can Do

Support Buglife and ARC Trust white-clawed crayfish conservation programmes
Never transport crayfish or aquatic plants between water bodies due to disease transfer risk
Report native crayfish sightings and any suspected crayfish plague mortalities