28/08/2026
A bucket full of conservation success 👏
Last week, we joined partners including the Environment Agency to help rescue one of the UK's most threatened freshwater species: the native white-clawed crayfish. 🦞
As prolonged dry weather caused water levels to fall, some ponds became at risk of drying out completely.
To protect the crayfish living there, they were carefully moved into a neighbouring, deeper pond where they have a much better chance of surviving.
Every crayfish was handled with care, using strict biosecurity measures to protect both the animals and the habitats they depend on. 🩵
For us, it was also a fantastic learning opportunity.
We've recently begun a three-year project to survey crayfish across the Ribble catchment, helping us better understand the distribution of both native white-clawed crayfish and invasive American signal crayfish.
Before we can carry out this work independently, there's still plenty of training to complete and licences to obtain. These licences help ensure crayfish are identified, handled, and monitored correctly, while reducing the risk of accidentally harming native populations or spreading disease.
Why does all this matter?
🦞 White-clawed crayfish are the UK's only native crayfish species
⚠️ They are threatened by habitat loss, invasive signal crayfish, and crayfish plague
🤔 To protect them, we first need to understand where their remaining strongholds are
A huge thank you to everyone involved in the rescue and for sharing their knowledge and expertise with us.
👉Want to learn more about the project?
🔗 ribbletrust.org.uk/press-release-rare-white-clawed-crayfish-given-lifeline/
