crawfish are often active in the daytime , unlike common lobsters . The local extinctions had mainly happened by the mid 1970s and I had simply had a lucky encounter on the Isles of Scilly in 1991 .
While a few small crawfish were spotted in south-west England and Wales from 2007 , it wasn ’ t until around 2014 when more were seen in many places and 2017 when larger numbers were reported . They are still quite rare in the inshore waters where I do most of my diving but , this summer , I had the pleasure of meeting a few individuals at Porthkerris on the Lizard . I saw more when I went out from there to the Manacles , and the scene of a large crawfish standing proudly between a group of sea fans and a wall covered in jewel anemones while being ‘ buzzed ’ by curious cuckoo wrasse is one that I won ’ t forget in a hurry !
How did the recovery occur ? Crawfish larvae are released by their mother in the spring , and then spend several months
Back where it belongs , a large crawfish stands guard
Young crawfish among jewel anemones and soft corals
feeding in open water where they are moved by the whim of ocean currents , before settling as miniature crawfish around 2cm long in late summer . Those currents are very variable and , at some point , we assume they were strong enough to bring the larvae across from a crawfish stronghold , such as around northern France . That effect may take a while to show and the medium-sized individual I met at Babbacombe in 2019 , for example , may have first settled here around 2014 .
Now , and in addition to strict local fishing regulations , conservation organisations request all divers leave crawfish well alone so that we can enjoy watching these beautiful animals continue their recovery in our waters . Or perhaps I should say ‘ watching and listening to …’ Crawfish are sometimes known as ‘ creakers ’ because they can rub the bases of their antennae together to make loud sounds , which are used to deter predators and , particularly in females , attract potential mates ! �
Splendour on the Manacles : sea fans , jewel anemones and … a crawfish
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