Abstract

The current status of wild freshwater crayfish populations in Spain after aphanomycosis is described. At present, three species occur in Spain: the native white clawed, Austropotamobius pallipes (Lereboullet), the signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana), and the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard). A small number of A. pallipes populations are located in relatively isolated places in Spain. The constant threat of the pathogenic fungus (Aphanomyces astaci), still present in the country, and an increase in poaching make the native crayfish susceptible to extinction. Since 1974 the red swamp crayfish (P. clarkii), a species absolutely inappropriate to the habitats previously occupied by the native crayfish, has settled and developed abundant populations in almost the whole country, especially in the south and the center. This species is considered as a "biological plague" in many places, where special fishing regulations have been applied in an attempt to reduce their population numbers. Finally, there are few located populations of P. leniusculus, a species which appears to be ecologically similar to A. pallipes, and thus can be considered much more suitable for our ecosystems than P. clarkii. In this way, different Spanish regional govennems have initiated restocking activities harmonized with the protection and enhancement of A. pallipes stocks.

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