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Scotland's worry is our worry - Chinese Mitten Crab

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    #2
    Flysfisher
    Registered Users Posts: 249 ✭✭Flysfisher


    Murt10 wrote: »
    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-29365132

    Thats a nasty looking crab.
    If it is in England and Scotland its only a matter of time before it arrives in Ireland.


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    #3
    Zzippy
    Registered Users Posts: 14,166 ✭✭✭✭Zzippy


    Flysfisher wrote: »
    Thats a nasty looking crab.
    If it is in England and Scotland its only a matter of time before it arrives in Ireland.

    Already here, but only one or two specimens found to date. http://invasivespeciesireland.com/most-unwanted-species/established/freshwater/chinese-mitten-crab


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    #4
    Joeseph Balls
    Registered Users Posts: 3,710 ✭✭✭Joeseph Balls


    For people on the cellular telephones....
    Scientists fear that an alien crab found in the River Clyde could have a devastating impact on salmon and trout fishing across Scotland's river network.
    The remains of the Chinese Mitten Crab, also known as "hairy crab", were discovered in the River Clyde in June.
    Experts say the crabs will eat fish eggs if they spread to areas where trout and salmon spawn.
    BBC Scotland's Cameron Buttle reports.


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    #5
    Flysfisher
    Registered Users Posts: 249 ✭✭Flysfisher


    Zzippy wrote: »
    Already here, but only one or two specimens found to date. http://invasivespeciesireland.com/most-unwanted-species/established/freshwater/chinese-mitten-crab

    They are born in the sea and migrate into rivers to feed. How far do they go upstream? Can they cross weirs?


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    #6
    Murt10
    Registered Users Posts: 1,195 ✭✭✭Murt10


    Flysfisher wrote: »
    They are born in the sea and migrate into rivers to feed. How far do they go upstream? Can they cross weirs?


    According to Nick Yonge of the Tweed Foundation "they can cross land as well so they pretty much go wherever they want and they are big scavengers so they pretty much eat whatever they want as well."

    Looks like weirs or anything else won't stop them.


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    #7
    Flysfisher
    Registered Users Posts: 249 ✭✭Flysfisher


    They should be killed on sight so.

    Just been reading on the uk fishing forum that these things are in the UK for 80+ years. They appear and die off and re-appear every now and again. Apparently they can’t go too far inland away from the sea because they need salt water to drop the load.
    So wonder how much of a threat they are to middle and upper sections of rivers they really are or is this all sensational stuff.


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    #8
    Zzippy
    Registered Users Posts: 14,166 ✭✭✭✭Zzippy


    Flysfisher wrote: »
    They should be killed on sight so.

    Just been reading on the uk fishing forum that these things are in the UK for 80+ years. They appear and die off and re-appear every now and again. Apparently they can’t go too far inland away from the sea because they need salt water to drop the load.
    So wonder how much of a threat they are to middle and upper sections of rivers they really are or is this all sensational stuff.

    In China they have been found 1,500km inland from the sea. I've seen photos from Germany where they became stranded when a river was dammed, and they climbed buildings that were in their way to get back to the river and continue their downstream migration. Their impact, should they be introduced, may not be as serious as feared, or it may be worse - we have no way of knowing what effect an invasive species will have until it is introduced. So no, I wouldn't say it is in any way sensationalised.


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