GRCF2021 Critical Recovery Programme for Endangered White-clawed Crayfish (360G-cabinetoffice-G2-GA-202211828518-22-23)

The native White-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) is an endangered freshwater invertebrate and numbers are continuing to reduce throughout Europe. In Norfolk the population of this species is drastically declining at an alarming rate and vital measures are needed to increase remaining populations to prevent future local extinction. The Zoological Society of East Anglia (ZSEA) proposes to build a crayfish hatchery at Banham Zoo, Norfolk. With support from the Norfolk Rivers Trust, Banham Zoo will house wild caught, egg carrying females and rear the young for release into selected ARK sites (safe refuge sites) in rivers across Norfolk. ZSEA is being advised and supported by Bristol Zoo Gardens who have established a successful crayfish hatchery to support the South West White-clawed crayfish populations.Two new job roles will be created to manage the running of the hatchery, plus local community volunteering opportunities and apprenticeships. The project's key themes are nature conservation and restoration and connecting people to nature; themes that form ZSEA's ongoing core strategies.It is predicted that without urgent action, the White-clawed crayfish will sadly become locally extinct within Norfolk in the next two to three years.