Abstract

According to the geographical location, conditions for crayfish life appear ideal in Switzerland. Most of the waters leaving this relatively small 41,293 km² territory have their rise inside its borders, mainly in the two mountain ranges of the Alps and the Jura. Switzerland has approx. 400 km² of lakes and 42,000 km of rivers. However, especially on the Swiss plateau, human population density is very high. This has often led to overexp 1 oitat ion of natural resources and, as a consequence, to the deterioration of the ecological quality of watercourses. Water pollution problems are today in the process of being solved but physical modifications like dams and corrections of rivers have often fatal consequences for many fish and crayfish populations. Furthermore, cold and fast-running alpine waters, as well as the small alpine lakes do not offer the environmental conditions necessary for crayfish life.

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