Abstract
[Extract] Australia has a diverse variety of freshwater crayfish. Of these, three species all belonging to the genus Cherax, marron ( Cherax tenuimanus), redclaw ( Cherax quadricarinatus) and yabbies ( Cherax a/bidus and Cherax destructor) are farmed commercially both in Australia and overseas. Marron originate in south-western Australia, yabbies are found in central Australia and redclaw are a tropical species from northern Australia (Fig. 17.1). The aquaculture potential of Australian freshwater crayfish was originally recognised by Smith (1912) who recommended that these animals should be farmed due to their superior texture, flavour and relatively simple life cycle. Consequently these crayfish have received considerable interest, initially focused on breeding, diet and husbandry requirements, and more recently culminating in the development of well-established farming methods (Morrissy et a/., 1995a; Jones & Ruscoe, 1996; Lawrence et a/., 1998). The development of financially viable farming systems in combination with the high price received for Australian crayfish ($A5-35 farm gate) has resulted in the rapid adoption of crayfish farming by industry both in Australia and overseas. Current production of crayfish is, however, still insufficient to meet international market demand. In response there has been a rapid proliferation of purpose-built crayfish farms throughout Australia over the past 5 years, along with the harvesting of essentially wild stock from water storage dams. One of the key strengths of Cherax is that they can be exported alive, out of water and arrive in prime condition on high value markets in Europe and Asia. Internationally the demand for freshwater crayfish is expected to continue to increase. This increase is due to a number of factors, in particular the demand by countries with traditional consumption patterns for freshwater crayfish in Europe, combined with decreased supply due to the crayfish plague (Aplwnomyces astaci) that has swept through Europe killing many of their native populations of freshwater crayfish (Chapter 10). The importation of all overseas crayfish species into Australia is prohibited, since they can carry the crayfish plague fungus Aphanomyces astaci (Morrissy, 1992a), to which Australian crayfish are likely to be very susceptible (Chapter 10).
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Publication Name
Biology of Freshwater Crayfish
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ISBN/ISSN
978-0-632-05431-2
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Pages Count
702
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Blackwell Science Ltd
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Oxford UK
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