Increasing the Chances of Survival of White-clawed Crayfish in the River Lathkill

To to create a sustainable on-line crayfish breeding facility, breeding sufficient stock for reintroduction into the river Lathkill. Lathkilldale is a NNR and SAC, all crayfish were wiped out from the Lathkill and its tributaries in 1993.

This application is seeking to build on the work of previous projects to create a sustainable population for reintroduction. Funding is sought to modify former trout ponds adjacent to the Lathkill to create predator free breeding facilities, access to holding tanks and purpose built cages, trap donor stock (up to 500) at Bestwood Ponds, transport to River Lathkill, transfer females into cages with refuges for hatching and transfer young crayfish to small tanks/cages to increase survival chances (as adult crayfish prey on small crayfish), retain broodstock for next breeding season, release population into the Lathkill following IUCN guidelines. The project addresses UK and local targets for maintaining the current range of white clawed crayfish.