BIOSECURITY ALERT — FOR ALL CLUBS, ANGLERS & RIVER USERS
Invasive Signal Crayfish Confirmed on the River Hodder — Please Act Now
Invasive American signal crayfish have been found and confirmed in the main River Hodder between Newton and Slaidburn.
This is an important announcement for every club, angler, riparian owner and river user across the catchment. Invasive American signal crayfish have been confirmed in the main Hodder between Newton and Slaidburn. Given how these animals spread, it is likely they are present beyond that stretch too.
We know many of you have already engaged with our recent posts on invasive species and with the Angling Trust’s Check, Clean, Dry campaign. This confirmation makes that guidance more urgent than ever. Anglers and all water users are strongly encouraged to take extra care with biosecurity — and clubs are asked to promote this message widely through their own channels.
Why This Matters
Signal crayfish are a non-native, invasive species from North America. They are larger and more aggressive than our native white-clawed crayfish, outcompeting them for habitat and preying on their young. Critically, they carry crayfish plague — a disease that is fatal to the white-clawed crayfish and can survive on damp clothing, boots and equipment for up to ten days. They also disturb riverbanks, feed on fish eggs and invertebrates, and damage the wider ecosystem that our fishery depends on.
What You Must Do — Check, Clean, Dry
After every trip — and especially before moving between the Hodder, the Ribble or any other water — follow the three steps:
CHECK your boots, waders, nets, mats, lines and all equipment for mud, plant fragments or any living organisms. Pay attention to damp, hidden areas.
CLEAN everything thoroughly as soon as you can. Hot water (above 40°C) is highly effective; leave nothing to chance even if kit looks clean.
DRY all gear completely before using it elsewhere. Because the plague can survive up to ten days on damp material, drying matters. If you can’t dry kit fully, keep a separate set for waters you fish less often.
Wherever possible, avoid fishing more than one water on the same day.
Please Don’t Take Matters Into Your Own Hands
It is understandable to want to remove these invaders, but trapping signal crayfish requires a licence, and unlicensed trapping is an offence. It is also illegal to release them, keep them alive or use them as bait. If you are 100% certain you have caught a signal crayfish you may humanely dispatch it — but if there is any doubt it could be a protected native white-clawed crayfish, return it to the water where you found it. When in doubt, put it back.
Report Sightings
Please report any crayfish sightings to the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 — especially any crayfish found dead or behaving strangely, which can be a sign of plague. This helps build an accurate picture of how far the population has spread.
You can also report sightings on the INNS mapper app – https://innsmapper.org/home please be sure to take clear photos particularly of the underside of the claws and also the head area.
ID Guides
Signal Crayfish – https://www.nonnativespecies.org/assets/Uploads/ID_Pacifastacus_leniusculus_Signal_crayfish-1.pdf
A Request to Clubs and Stakeholders
Please help us get this message out. Share this post with your members through your own newsletters, WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages and noticeboards. The more anglers and river users who adopt good biosecurity now, the better our chance of slowing the spread and protecting the Hodder, the Ribble and the wider catchment. Biosecurity only works when everyone plays their part.
Links
Angling Trust INNS / Check Clean Dry – https://anglingtrust.net/invasive-non-native-species/
GB Non Native Species Secretariat – https://www.nonnativespecies.org/non-native-species
For more on invasive species and biosecurity, see our earlier posts and the Angling Trust’s Check, Clean, Dry guidance. If you want to know what’s happening on your river, go to the website: ribblefisheriesca.co.uk