As a responsible government, the government must finally start with ‘far -reaching measures’ to combat the American crayfish, and it must reimburse tens of millions of euros that water managers have now made to combat the ‘unacceptable’ damage caused by the animal. In addition, it must reimburse the costs that water managers will incur in the coming years to prevent further damage.
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The Delfland Water Board writes this on Wednesday in a letter of fire to State Secretary Rummenie (Agriculture and Nature, BBB). The Water Board has been attempting to “get in conversation” with the Ministry for years, but without results, the water managers write. As a ‘only management measure’, the Ministry made lobster preservation possible with selective catches through the professional fishing row. “This management measure has not been effective in any way.”
A specific approach is also missing in a recent letter from State Secretary Rummenie about the “contours of an action plan” against invasive exotics, “said the fire letter. Conversations between the State Secretary and the Union of Water Boards also have ‘insufficient insight’ on measures. “That doesn’t give us trust,” said the Water Board.
Explosive increase
The population of American crayfish has been in the Delfland area since 2010 “explosively increased and is only threatening to Woerden,” writes the board of the Water Board. The crayfish causes “great ecological damage” and thus has a “negative effect” on water quality, the landscaped water nature and biodiversity. “In addition, river crayons dig in banks and thereby cause damage to our quays and flood defenses,” the letter said.