UK Invasive Species Strategy Attracts Public Support

LONDON, UK, January 4, 2007 (ENS) - The arrival in the UK of a foreign ornamental crayfish species via the aquarium trade could put native crayfish species under severe pressure, British authorities warn. A new draft strategy to tackle such invasive non-native species in Great Britain has received strong support during public consultations, the government said today, and a final strategy will be introduced in the spring.

The marbled crayfish is the first recorded crayfish capable of asexual reproduction. It reproduces so rapidly that one animal alone can establish a breeding population.

Because the marbled crayfish can reproduce so fast, aquarium hobbyists could pass their excess animals on to other hobbyists, pet shops, or release them into the wild.

Freshwater crayfish look like miniature lobsters and live in streams, rivers and still waters. Marbled crayfish are voracious feeders and could impact native aquatic plants and animals if released to the wild. In addition, this species carries a fungus that could harm native crayfish.

"Marbled crayfish act as carriers of the crayfish plague - a fungal infection to which our native crayfish species is highly susceptible," said Dr. Birgit Oidtmann, crayfish plague specialist at the UK Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. "This same disease was brought into the UK by signal crayfish from North America, with serious impacts on native populations."

Discarded into the wild by aquarium hobbyists, marbled crayfish spell trouble for native British crayfish. (Photo courtesy Marmorkrebs)

Non-native species that become invasive are considered the second greatest threat to wildlife worldwide, after habitat loss. The release of any non-native species to the wild in Great Britain is an offense under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly Government today welcomed the strong support received for the draft strategy to cope with non-native species that invade Great Britain.

The joint governmental response concludes the consultation process on the draft Invasive Non-Native Species Framework Strategy for Great Britain

The consultation was conducted between February 28 and May 23, 2007 by the Great Britain Non-native Species Secretariat.

Ninety-two percent of responses to the consultation supported the strategic approach set out in the draft strategy, and over 90 percent were supportive of each of the strategy's key delivery sections.

Proposed measures include raising public awareness to help prevent unwanted introductions of non-native species, and detecting problems early and tackling them quickly.

Using good research to underpin management is also part of the strategy as is making use of legislative powers.

Commenting on the public response, Minister for Climate Change and Biodiversity Joan Ruddock said, "Achieving better protection for our valuable natural heritage from invasive non-native species needs co-operation from a wide range of partners, and the support shown for the approach set out in the draft strategy is highly encouraging."

Ninety-eight percent of respondents agreed that to succeed, the strategy needs a joint approach with a wide range of bodies and interests.

While 69 percent of respondents agreed that species driven here by climate change should be incorporated within the strategy there were widely divergent views on the issue.

Many of those that agreed that they should be included qualified their responses with the suggestion that, while monitoring was appropriate for these species, efforts to remove them were not.

Almost one-third of respondents did not agree with their inclusion citing the fact that colonization by novel species is a continuous natural process that might form part of future British biodiversity.

Michael Russell, environment minister for the Scottish Government said, "Scotland has become home to a number of invasive non-native species and it is vital that work is done on how we counter the threat they pose. "The responses to the consultation strengthen our position and we are now almost in a position to take this work forward."

Jane Davidson, environment minister for the Welsh Assembly Government said, "Managing the control of invasive non-native species is key to conserving our native flora and fauna, and contributes towards our goal of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010. It is important that we have the appropriate systems in place to react quickly to incidents as they arise."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh Assembly Government are currently consulting on proposals to amend the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 on the deliberate release of invasive non-native species and to ban the sale of certain invasive non-native species.

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