A major conservation effort is underway in Northumberland and other parts of the North of England to help save the UK’s only native freshwater crayfish from disappearing from rivers and streams.

The white-clawed crayfish was once a familiar part of freshwater life across the country, quietly playing its role in healthy rivers.

Today, it is globally endangered, with populations having fallen by an estimated 70 to 80% in recent decades. Its decline has been driven by pollution, habitat loss, disease and the spread of invasive non-native crayfish.

Conservation organisations including the Tyne Rivers Trust, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and the Environment Agency covering areas such as Northumberland, Cumbria, Teesside and Lancashire will collaborate as part of a national recovery programme to protect remaining populations of white-clawed crayfish.

A white-clawed crayfish. Photo: The Wildlife Trusts.

placeholder image — A white-clawed crayfish. Photo: The Wildlife Trusts.

There will be a a focus on crayfish surveys, population monitoring and identifying potential ‘Ark sites’ — safe refuge habitats where white-clawed crayfish can be protected from invasive species and crayfish plague.

The work forms part of a wider national recovery programme led by The Wildlife Trusts and Stan Smith, head of nature and species recovery at The Wildlife Trusts, said: “Through a combination of targeted nature recovery efforts, breeding and reintroduction programmes, and innovative research, we can give this iconic native species a lifeline.”

There was concern when around 100 white-clawed crayfish were found dead in the Morpeth area in autumn 2024 with unusual orange patches on their shell.

But a report earlier this year from the Environment Agency revealed that, thankfully, an investigation found that the symptoms do not appear to be fatal at a population level and many with symptoms can live with them.