Again fly fishermen are being asked to look for another invader of our fly fishing rivers. We have had the cray fish which has been decimated by the American signal crayfish, more recently Dikerogammarus villosus a visious shrimp which often kills its prey and leaves it uneaten was found in Grafham Water now we have Chinese Mitten Crabs! These have been around for a while, they have been found in the Yorkshire Region at Castleford in 1948 yet they are now spreading and while fly fishing we are being asked to watch out for these invaders and report them for monitoring. The Full Press Release has stated: Become a nature detective and record the invasion of the alien Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) in rivers of England and Wales. Scientists from a number of UK research institutes, including London’s Natural History Museum are calling for the public to become nature detectives this autumn to better understand the full extent of the Chinese mitten crab invasion and the threat these crustaceans pose to our rivers and waterways. Anglers, waterway workers, boating enthusiasts and other nature lovers to identify and record any sightings of the alien species via an online survey. The [...]
