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South-east freshwater crayfish put on protected species list

Wednesday 10 February, 2010

The South-east Crayfish (Euastacus bispinosus) (also known as the Glenelg spiny crayfish or ‘spiny’) has been declared a protected species under the South Australian Fisheries Management Act following an announcement by the State Government today.

PIRSA Fisheries Manager Fisheries Policy, Sean Sloan, said that this species of freshwater crayfish is restricted to the Glenelg River Basin of south-western Victoria and coastal streams, drains and wetlands of adjacent areas of the lower south east of South Australia.

“Prolonged drought conditions in the south east region of the state have led to a decline in habitat quality in the coastal streams, drains and wetlands which support the South-east Crayfish, placing further pressure on what is a restricted and rare species in this state,” he said.

“By declaring the South-east Crayfish a protected species we are protecting another one of our important native species which is currently under threat.”

The species is listed as ‘vulnerable’ to extinction in the wild in the medium-term future on the 2000 IUCN red list of threatened species, and nominated for listing as endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, due to its small range and large number of threatening processes.

Mr Smallridge said that due to these declining conditions the State Government has taken a tough stance to protect the current population of South-east Crayfish.

“Research indicates that this particular species is slow growing, taking up to 26 years to reach maximum size,” he said.

“By protecting the existing stock from fishing, we are maximising the opportunity for the species to reproduce to promote its long-term sustainability.

“These freshwater crayfish are highly visible during the day as they slowly wander around on the bottom of the drains, making them easy to capture by hand or net.

“Under the new regulations, all fishers are prohibited from taking or harming South-east Crayfish.

“Although the South-east Crayfish was not a popular target for fishers in SA, I still urge fishers to do the right thing to help protect the species.”

PIRSA Fisheries will be running an active public awareness campaign to notify fishers of this change.