Endangered crayfish moved two by two to new ‘Ark’ site - Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
The first major translocation of white-clawed crayfish at National Trust, Kedleston Hall has taken place. The species have been collected and relocated to an ‘Ark’ site in Derbyshire as part of a project to protect the rare and endangered species.
Working with partners at The National Trust, The Woodland Trust and Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has led a project to relocate the native white-clawed crayfish in lakes at Kedleston Hall, which are under threat from the non-native signal crayfish present downstream at Markeaton Park, and move them to a new site where their numbers can grow.
Teams from all four charities spent a day checking artificial refuge traps that were placed at strategic locations through the lakes system at points where concentrated populations of white-clawed crayfish exist, and performing health checks on the crayfish at Kedleston to ensure they were ready for the move. The following day, the crayfish were collected and transported to a secret location owned by the Woodland Trust in Derbyshire where it is hoped the crayfish will thrive.
Nick Mott, River Restoration Manager at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, and Pete Cowley, Technical Director of Aquatic Ecology at AECOM in Nottingham, have been involved in the project over the last year, undertaking surveys, giving technical guidance and carrying out eDNA sampling to ensure that everything was in place prior to the crayfish translocation. Members of the AECOM Aquatic Ecology and Water Environment team have utilised Social Value days to assist with the crayfish translocation.
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Posted On: 03/10/2022