The craze for crays is on! Another round of Murray Crayfish releases for SA

Another great win for the mighty Murray Crayfish!

This month, over 250 adult and juvenile Murray Crayfish were released into the reintroduction reach of the River Murray in SA. We first reintroduced Murray Crayfish into the River Murray in SA in 2023. This five-year collaborative reintroduction project is kicking many goals for the conservation effort for this species, which is now EPBC listed and had been extinct in SA for over 40 years.

Juvenile crayfish have high mortality rates in the wild, so head-starting programs are an important component of future conservation. The young crayfish were hatched out of eggs and grown out at the NGT Aquasave Hatchery for ten months to give them a significantly greater chance of survival in the wild. These cuties were about 20 mm occipital carapace length (back of eye socket to the centre middle of the rear of the carapace) at release. Fully grown adults were also released, and some are being tracked using acoustic telemetry to gather data on their movements and survival rate.

Thanks to Murraylands and Riverlands Landscape Board, River Murray & Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, NSW Fisheries and NGT staff for contributing to a great team effort.

Thank you to the project supporters and collaborators, the Murraylands and Riverlands Landscape Board, River Murray & Mallee Aboriginal Corporation and NSW Fisheries