Conditions here are now fairly good with some promising weather over the coming weekend.  The river is a touch low, but should give few problems even high up by Lodge Hall.  There was a good hatch of dark olives this afternoon that got a few rises down by New Inn. 

I understand that the Environment Agency have at last got a case to court involving the taking of native crayfish.  There was an incident a while back over at Staveley on the river Kent where a couple of numb skulls had trapped a fair haul of native crayfish and filmed themselves having a gumbo.  When approached by an EA enforcement officer they departed quickly leaving behind the camera.  The film is such good evidence that they are pleading guilty to charges under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and the crayfish bylaws.  The maximum penalty is £5000 so we will await with interest the outcome of what the EA regard as a case to send a warning message.

Also over in the lakes are two of our Ribblesdale female crayfish.  They left last night for a new home in an ecology habitat tank at the Brockholes visitor centre.  The idea is to help educate the quarter million visitors that pass through this centre each year to the plight of our little white claws.  Both females were replete with eggs so by early summer there should be a thriving population in the tank.


Ian