Traps set to snare killer shrimp

TRAPS are being laid to capture a killer shrimp that could be invading Rotherham’s waters.

Environment Agency officers are desperate to stop an invasion of the predator—Dikerogammarus villosus—before it kills off native species, including insects such as damselflies and water boatmen and even small fish.

Special traps have been set in the lake at Rother Valley Country Park and Ulley Reservoir in an attempt to stamp out the threat posed by the unwanted invader which originates from Eastern Europe.

Environment Agency team leader Paul Curry said: “These surveys form part of a national monitoring programme to assess the spread of the killer shrimp.

“Whilst we are optimistic the shrimp hasn’t come this far north, we have targeted the surveys at the waters we think most likely to contain them if they have.

“We’ll be setting the traps over the next couple of months as we do other work in each of the target areas.”

The killer shrimp was first spotted in the UK last year in Cambridgeshire sparking a nationwide alert.

They are thought to be transported on anglers’ nets, by boats or by fish stocking.

Paul added: “We’d encourage all anglers, wherever they are fishing, to check, clean and dry their tackle, as that will help stop the spread of invasive species and disease.”

The shrimp is a voracious predator and can alter the ecology of the habitats it invades through its consumption of native species.

It can be as small as 3mm but may grow up to 30mm long, much larger than native freshwater shrimp.

To report a suspected sighting of killer shrimp send an email to [email protected].