Nottinghamshire Crayfish Project (Notts BAG)

The Nottinghamshire Crayfish Initiative, led by the Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group, was established to support recovery of white-clawed crayfish (WCC) in Nottinghamshire. Native WWC have been in decline since non-native American signal crayfish escaped into UK waters in the 1970s. These larger, invasive crayfish outcompete native species for food and habitat and carry a disease fatal to the UK species. Learn more about the Endangered WCC here.

I volunteered with the Group for many years which trained me to be able to obtain my Natural England WCC survey licence, and eventually also led on several sessions for the Group and assisted in training other volunteers. With the Group we would survey known WCC streams to monitor populations and also took part in an eradication program of the signal crayfish to stop their spread into a key site of WCC in Nottinghamshire.