Home / Environment / Endangered Crayfish Rescued from Drying Waterway, Returned to the Wild
Endangered Crayfish Rescued from Drying Waterway, Returned to the Wild
4 Oct
Summary
- Over 30 white-clawed crayfish rescued from drying beck in Yorkshire
- 21 egg-carrying females among the rescued adults
- Crayfish released into tributary of River Wharfe to establish new population
On July 2025, conservationists from the Environment Agency sprang into action to rescue a population of endangered white-clawed crayfish from a drying beck in Burley, Wharfedale, West Yorkshire. The team removed more than 30 adult crayfish, including 21 egg-carrying females, who were struggling to survive the drought.
The rescued adults, along with 30 juveniles that hatched during the quarantine period, have now been released into a tributary of the River Wharfe. Tim Selway, a biodiversity specialist and crayfish expert at the Environment Agency, expressed hope that this new population will breed and help secure the long-term future of the species.
The white-clawed crayfish is the UK's only native freshwater crayfish, playing a crucial role in keeping waterways clean and providing a food source for other native species. However, the species has been in decline, losing out to the larger and more aggressive American signal crayfish. The Wharfe catchment is known to have extensive populations of the invasive signal crayfish, putting the native white-clawed crayfish at risk.
The discovery of this previously unknown population of white-clawed crayfish in Burley was reported by a local resident, Scott Davies, who noticed the crustaceans in distress. The Environment Agency's swift action to rescue and relocate the crayfish is a significant step in conserving this endangered species in Yorkshire.
