Crayfish

Available for over a year

Chris Packham relives programmes from The Living World archives. In Medieval England, so abundant was the native white clawed crayfish that following the end of Lent Fasting at Easter monks and nuns would feast on this delicacy. However as Lionel Kelleway discovers in this programme from 2000 with a rapidly declining population even the chances of even finding a crayfish takes time and skill. The decline in our native crayfish is a result of a plague brought in by an alien species, the North American Signal crayfish and from our rivers and streams suffering from damage or reduced water quality. At the Bybrook river Lionel is joined by Martin Frayling from the Environment Agency on the edge of the Cotswolds. A river that is as perfect a place as any to begin their journey into the freshwater world of the white clawed crayfish. Producer Andrew Dawes.