Crayfish alert in Estonia
By Magne Foss
- Newswire Norway
Crayfish pest is
capable of extinguishing the entire population of freshwater crayfish
in Estonia. To prevent the pest spreading to Estonian waterways,
a database has been established to monitor the situation.
"Crayfish are very common in many Estonian watercourses, and as
in Norway, these have not been exposed to crayfish pest", explains
Tore Taugbøl of the Eastern Norway Research Foundation. Both countries
have five species of freshwater crayfish that are not carriers of
this deadly infectious disease.
The aim of the database was to help develop specific proposals
on how best to preserve the crayfish population in Estonia. The
database will be used to constantly monitor crayfish development
in Estonian waters, instantly alerting the environmental authorities
if pest carriers are found. The Norwegian Pollution Control Authority
(SFT) financed the project.
Imported carriers a mixed blessing
"Fish farmers in Estonia want to safeguard their industry by importing
and releasing American signal crayfish, which are immune to the
disease. Unfortunately, American signal crayfish are carriers of
the disease, and would help devastate the natural crayfish population
in Estonia", says Jostein Skurdal, who also works for the Eastern
Norway Research Foundation. Crayfish pest first appeared in European
waterways in the 1890s.
Anxious to preserve native crayfish, the Estonian authorities
first sought to develop the action plan and database in 1998. In
contrast to other Nordic countries, the Norwegian authorities have
been unwilling to sanction the release of signal crayfish, and it
was therefore natural that Estonia and Norway joined forces to develop
a common plan of action.
"This plan is vital if we are to ensure successful management
in the future", explains Skurdal.
Self sufficient
The project was a partnership between the Eastern Norway Research
Foundation and the Board of Fisheries in Tallinn, Estonia.
In 1998, the Nordic Council supported a joint Nordic-Baltic workshop
arranged by the Eastern Norway Research Foundation to research freshwater
crayfish in Estonia. "This was an excellent way to conclude the
project, and generated fertile discussions on common problems associated
with managing these resources", says Taugbøl.
Today the project is self sufficient, and no longer requires financial
support from Norway. The pest hazard has been reduced thanks to
the database, making the future more certain for the Estonian crayfish.
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