§ Mr. OnslowTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when first his Department received advice from the Nature Conservancy Council about the danger to native crayfish stocks from the spread of crayfish plague by the introduction of American signal crayfish; and what action he has since taken in response to this.
§ Mr. CurryOfficials first received advice from the Nature Conservancy Council in 1977. Crayfish plague was officially confirmed in the United Kingdom in 1983, but it is probable the infection had already been present in our waters since the mid-1970s and that this was linked to the import of American signal crayfish. Such introductions preceded legislation to control, inter alia the import, keeping and release of non-native species of freshwater shellfish. Crayfish plague has now been detected in many of our river systems with crayfish populations. Our scientific advice is that eradication would be very difficult to accomplish. Nonetheless, we are continuing to discuss with the Nature Conservancy Council and the National Rivers Authority the feasibility of means of safeguarding native crayfish stocks in those areas at present free of crayfish plague. The Department is also funding scientific work on diagnostic methods.