Crayfish stock revived in Finnish lakes
MEKThe traditional fishing of crayfish has been revived from a sleep of a hundred years. The active restocking of signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), an American species indigenous to the Western United States, has resulted in growth of the stock and now enables even commercial crayfish fishing. For instance in Pyhäjärvi-lake in Säkylä the crayfish stock has finally increased due to determined restocking work.
The news were published by Game and Fisheries Research Institute in Finland, which published the results of its Grayfish stock evaluation, which evaluated the development of the noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) and the signal crayfish stocks in the last decades.
In the first half of the 20th century repetitive epidemics of crayfish plague demolished most of the domestic crayfish stocks. In some water systems the crayfish stock was virtually non-existent until the 21st century. Today’s revival of Finland’s crayfish stock is mostly due to the restocking of signal crayfish.
Since 2006 approximately 7 million crayfish were caught in Finland. The Game and Fisheries Research Institute in Finland estimates that with efficient crayfish fishing up to 20-30 million noble and signal crayfish could be caught, providing a sufficient source for the domestic consumption of crayfish.
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