Keeping or releasing non-native crayfish in England and Wales

Great Britain’s only native crayfish, the white clawed crayfish, is covered by both national and international conservation legislation because it is endangered. There are various reasons for its declinewhich include; pollution, habitat loss and competing species.

In Britain one of the biggest threats to the native crayfish is the presence of an non native species, the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). These have escaped from farm sites during introductions in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. The signal crayfish outcompetes our native crayfish and carries a fungal disease, the crayfish plague, to which the native crayfish has no defence.

The government recognised the damage caused by signal crayfish and introduced legislation designed to protect our native crayfish from further introduction and release of non-native crayfish. In particular from the continued spread of the signal crayfish.

Currently, it is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to release, or allow to escape, any non-native animal to the wild in Great Britain except under licence.

Therefore it is an offence to release any crayfish species (other than the White Clawed Crayfish A pallipes) to the wild. By introducing crayfish to water bodies from which they can escape - such as ornamental ponds or farm ponds - you can become liable to prosecution.

It is government policy to presume against the issue of licences to release crayfish. Therefore anyone considering the introduction of crayfish to any body of water should contact the Fish Health Inspectorate, at Cefas, for advice.

In addition to the Wildlife Act 1981, further legal controls on the keeping of non-native crayfish were implemented in 1996. In England and Wales, this legislation is called the Import of Live Fish (England and Wales) Act 1980. Titled ‘The Prohibition of Keeping of Live Fish (Crayfish) Order 1996’, and referred to here as the Crayfish Order. This legislation:

1. Made it an offence to keep any crayfish in England and Wales, except under licence.
2. Defined crayfish as all members of the families Astacidae, Cambaridae and Parastacidae, excluding our native crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes.
3. Made an exception to 1 above for signal crayfish in those parts of England where extensive populations existed, and controls were inappropriate. The Order lists the areas where licences are not required to keep signal crayfish. These are shown by the green areas on the map to the right. 

Parallel legislation applies in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Crayfish Order licences

There is a general presumption against the issue of keeping licences for non-native crayfish. Applications are usually only considered in respect of keeping at secure sites for scientific research, or for aquaculture, where the crayfish are to be held in secure indoor facilities and sold direct to the food market.

One impact of this policy was that the keeping of crayfish as ornamental animals was effectively prohibited. An exception has been made for the keeping of named tropical species of crayfish, in heated indoor aquaria. A general licence has been issued under the Crayfish Order, which licences the keeping of the redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus), the only species currently categorised as tropical. A guide to the identification of redclaw crayfish has been produced to assist both the trade and those enforcing the legislation.

All other non-native crayfish are considered to be temperate animals. As such they can not be kept for ornamental purposes in England and Wales. Anyone with such crayfish in their possession should contact the FHI for advice.

A second general licence has been issued which allows non-native crayfish to be kept in markets, hotels and restaurants for the purpose of direct supply for human consumption. A guidance leaflet ("Crayfish Alert") has been produced for the food industry to help prevent the accidental release of crayfish.

Application procedure

If you wish to keep non-native crayfish in England, you need to obtain a licence prior to introduction. You need to apply for a keeping licence on form CRAY2 . Applicants in Wales should contact WAG.

The FHI will inspects the facilities in which the crayfish are to be kept and the Environment Agency, English Nature (or the Countryside Council for Wales) are consulted before a licence is issued. 

Licences will be issued by Defra or WAG once the full consultation process is complete, usually within one month of an application. There may be conditions placed on the licence and a licence may be time limited.

Offences and Penalties

Under the Crayfish Order an offence will have been committed if a person:

• keeps any non-native crayfish without being in possession of a valid licence

• fails to meet any conditions (specific or general) placed on that licence, including supplying listed species to a third party who is not in possession of an appropriate licence

Failure to comply with licence conditions may result in licences being revoked and possible prosecution. Maximum penalties of up to £2,500 can be enforced in cases of non-compliance with the legislation depending on circumstances, illegally held crayfish will be seized and destroyed.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 a person guilty of an offence shall be liable:

• On summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding statutory maximum;

• On conviction on indictment, to a fine.

Additional Information

As a tropical animal, redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) can be imported on a DOF 8T tropical licence. No other crayfish can be imported on an 8T licence, and an 8C Specified purpose licence will only be issued where the applicant has a valid licence to keep the species involved. They would not therefore be issued for import for ornamental purposes.