'American Signal Crayfish', to be precise, these 'critters' were introduced into British watercourses in the 1970s and have virtually eradicated our own native crayfish, reducing them to a mere 5% of their original number. A similar scenario to red and grey squirrels, these unwelcome guests are now seen as a pest and anglers are by law, encouraged to kill them if caught and not returned. A bit like carp are treated in Australia. Anyway, on a recent visit to friends who are lucky enough to live by the banks of a lovely English river and it being 'closed season' for river fishing (for fish, that is), I adopted the foraging approach and caught a handful fo these fellas for the pot, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall-style :) As I waited for my net loaded with oily mackerel to coax them to me, our host foraged for wild garlic. Hugh would have been proud. They were delicious and I will continue to do my best to help out with their eradication. You can't beat catchin' and cookin'. Who needs a supermarket? This original will be sent to our lovely hosts as a thank you. Soft pastel on Fabriano Tiziano coloured pastel paper.
In Minnesota we call them crawdads! Some folks
ReplyDeleteboil them in vinager water, shell them and eat them.
You need to have a lot to make a meal.
Your art of this is fun! The soft pastels and colors serves this up to the viewer like a feast for the eyes!
Thanks Bill, we ate the ones I caught with wild garlic butter picked by the river we caught the crayfish in!
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