In this month’s edition of Course Angling Today, there is an excellent article about signal crayfish written by local angler Stewart Moss.

Stewart used to work for J&K Tackle at Bicester and is now at Drennan International.

He also spends a lot of time fishing the rivers and streams around Oxfordshire and has done a lot of research into signal crayfish and their effect on the ecology of our waterways.

The article has been split into sections – history, description, life cycle – and all make interesting reading.

He makes the point that unless something is done soon to manage the problem, every river and stream in the country will be affected by crayfish.

Stewart also reckons that little has been done to combat the problem so far because they are not seen, so many people are unaware of the damage which they do.

He says: “If signal crayfish were land-based creatures which were slaughtering garden birds, would the RSPB sit back and watch?”

It’s a very good question, and the answer is of course they wouldn’t.

He points out that crayfish are third in the top ten list of most invasive species compiled by the Environment Agency and DEFRA.

Stewart is doing a follow-up article which will look at why crays are such bad news for our environment.