Introduced American Signal Crayfish (left) and native Atlantic Stream Crayfish
I saw this unusual artwork earlier in the week, visiting the Eden Rivers Trust at Penrith.
On the right is the plucky little Brit – the Atlantic Stream Crayfish.
On the left is the Champ – the American Signal Crayfish.
When the two meet, the Champ nearly always wins.
This is the frontline of the extinction crisis – where the alien invader brings death and destruction to the native population (the Champ carries the crayfish ‘plague’ so it’s not really a fair fight).
The River Eden is still a stronghold for the native crayfish – so far, signals have had little effect here, though for how much longer is uncertain.
And what’s this got to do with ponds?
It’s possible that clean, unpolluted and isolated ponds, with plenty of calcium, could be a refuge for the native crayfish – places the signals can’t get too.
