VIC:Pricklyback crayfish off the menu

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2011
VIC:Pricklyback crayfish off the menu

MELBOURNE, April 12 AAP - The `pricklyback' crayfish has gone off the menu and onto
the endangered list.

Once threatened by over-fishing, the survival of the Glenelg Spiny Freshwater Crayfish
is now at the mercy of drought, land clearing and salinity which have caused long-term
declines in their habitat.

Unlike yabbies, the crayfish known as `pricklyback' is off limits for fishing and now
definitely off the menu after being recently added to the endangered list.

Victoria's Department of Sustainability and Environment welcomed the listing of the
Glenelg spiny crayfish, which is found only in southwest Victoria and southeast South
Australia.

DSE biodiversity officer Jodie Honan said the listing followed continuing research
and conservation work, after concerns over over-fishing were first raised in the 1980s.

She said a series of size limits, bag limits and closed seasons were initially imposed
to reduce fishing pressure, while the pricklyback was taken off the menu in Victoria several
years ago.

"Since 2010 fishing for the species has been prohibited in both Victoria and South
Australia because of habitat loss and sustainability concerns," Ms Honan said on Tuesday.

Land clearing, salinity and changes in land use had caused long-term declines in their habitat.

Drought conditions had dried some former habitats while bushfires and landslips had
affected important catchments, increasing concerns about the species' survival, the DSE
said.

Ms Honan said the Glenelg spiny crayfish, which is slow-growing and has long lives,
are easy to distinguish from yabbies by their spines and bumps on their large claws and
bodies.

AAP mn/gfr/dep

KEYWORD: CRAYFISH (SUBMITTED PIC AVAILABLE)

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