Posted on 09/18/2020 1:08:10 PM PDT by Red Badger
The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Crayfish, Astacopsis gouldi, is the largest freshwater invertebrate in the world.(Supplied: Dan Broun)
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Fiona Marshall says she's rarely out of her gumboots or waders these days.
"I love working in rivers, they're really fascinating environments, they're really dynamic," the agricultural project coordinator said.
Ms Marshall said she was always scouring around in waterways across Tasmania's green, lush north-west as part of her latest project.
She has been working with landowners in the region to improve the habitat for giant freshwater crayfish — a threatened species that only lives in Tasmania's north.
Ms Marshall said while there were not clear population figures for the largest freshwater crustacean in the world, they had been seen less and less in recent years. Fiona Marshall stands in a stream surrounded by bushland
The creatures themselves share some human-like qualities: they live well into their 60s and the female crayfish do not reach breeding age until they are 13 or 14 years old.
The young ones are also the risk-takers, as they prefer the rapid, faster-flowing parts of the river, while the adults tend to hide out in calmer, safer areas of the waterway.
Ms Marshall said the prime habitat for adults and juveniles alike were rivers with a great variety of vegetation, everything from deep-rooted trees to shrubs and reeds.
Researcher Todd Walsh with a Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish.(ABC News: Henry Zwartz)
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History of poaching leads to decline
Over the decades, the habitat for giant freshwater crayfish has degraded for a number of reasons.
"Some of it has likely fallen in or been washed away in flood events, others there's been land clearing with agricultural and even urban development," Ms Marshall said.
But habitat loss is not the only reason for the species' declining population.
"Fishing and poaching in the past has obviously targeted those larger animals, and they're your breeding animals so you take some of them out of the system and you really have an impact on the reproduction of the animal," Ms Marshall said.
Poaching was made illegal under state legislation in 1998, with those found guilty facing fines of up to $10,000.
Penalties are even more severe under the Federal Threatened Species Act, with maximum fines of more than $100,000.
While poaching is not nearly as commonplace as it used to be, it has had a lasting impact.
Ms Marshall, who works for regional development organisation the Cradle Coast Authority, now works with farmers to rebuild crayfish habitat and create buffer zones around key waterways.
"We're also trying to stop erosion and turbidity [cloudiness] and sediment and soil because the animals do like clear, running water."
With federal funding through National Landcare, Ms Marshall has been mapping out what vegetation should go where in order to create "vegetation corridors" to link good habitat areas with each other.
She has found six key areas in the north-west to focus on, including parts of the Leven River running through Ulverstone, Detention and Duck Rivers in Circular Head and parts of Wynyard's Inglis River.
She said she hoped the program would help ensure the future of the giant freshwater crayfish.
"It's important we not only provide prime habitat, but also make sure people aren't poaching or fishing them," she said.
"They're iconic to Tasmania."
Taking a few larger animals out of the ecosystem compromises breeding, Fiona Marshall says.(Supplied: Mark Horstman)
“We’re going to need more butter.”
“....and hot sauce.”
These things can weigh up to 11 pounds / 2kg!............
I, for one, welcome our new crayfish overlords.
Too late.
Mary Tyler Moore already did that.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mary-tyler-moore-animals_n_5889005de4b0024605fd5e46
Poor man’s lobster!
LOL! First thing I thought “I’m hungry.”
Chicken skin-my poor man’s calamari. We’re talking fish right?
If they are edible, start cultivating them.
That will meet market needs and reduce poaching. It will also allow more of them to be released in the wild.
Capitalism can usually find a way...
Tasmania should check for the presence of Cajuns.
No where have I seen how they taste. Could be one of the largest spitouts on record too.
Start hatchery. Build up the wild stock. Sell crayfishing licenses.
Why do I have to come up with the solution?
Justin Wilson....
Crawfish pie recipe:
Start with anbout 6 lbs of fresh crawfish...
...and for my friends in Oz Tasmania that’s just one Tasmanian Giant Crawdaddy....I guar-on-tee...
Does the Australian crawfish etouffee recipe list “one quarter crawfish”? And what do you do with the rest.
Better not have any Cajuns on your “gonna save the world team” or you’re kaput.
Used to watch his show religiously.
Lately I’ve been craving frog legs.
There’s going to be a fight over who gets the big claw.
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