The noble crayfish in danger – new animated film aims to inspire action

Since the early 1900s, Sweden has lost 98 percent of its noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) populations. Today, the species is listed as Critically Endangered on the national red list of threatened species. The situation in Finland is equally alarming.

– One telling example is Värmland County. In the early 2000s, noble crayfish were found in 433 locations. Today, only around 60 populations remain – and just a handful of these are stable and viable. The others have disappeared due to 238 documented illegal introductions of signal crayfish carrying crayfish plague, says Patrik Bohman, environmental analyst at the Department of Aquatic Resources, SLU.

Reaching the next generation

How do you save a species that has lived in our waters for millions of years, but is now on the verge of disappearing? A group of researchers from Sweden, Finland, Croatia, Spain and Germany have long sounded the alarm over the fate of the noble crayfish. They have also come to realise that reversing the decline requires new ways of reaching people.

– Scientific papers are important, but they don’t always reach those who can make a difference. We wanted to reach the general public with the facts – and that’s why we chose to make an animated film, says Japo Jussila, Associate Professor at the University of Eastern Finland.

The film is short, accessible and aimed primarily at children and young people. It tells the story of the noble crayfish – from 400 million years ago to the present day – and highlights humanity’s role, the mistakes we’ve made, and what we need to do better going forward.

Sweden and Finland not only share a long tradition of crayfish fishing and crayfish parties, but also the main responsibility for the future of the species. Most of the world’s remaining noble crayfish populations are found in these two countries. And so are the problems.

Crayfish plague is the main threat

– The main reasons behind the crisis in both our countries are the crayfish plague and the legal and illegal release of North American signal crayfish, which are chronic carriers of the disease, says Lennart Edsman, crayfish researcher at SLU Aqua.

Despite the noble crayfish being critically endangered, the researchers do not view small-scale fishing as a threat – quite the opposite.

– Sustainable local fishing is essential for maintaining interest and engagement. If fishing is completely banned, people often resort to introducing signal crayfish instead – and with them comes the plague, says Lennart Edsman.

The film is part of a broader effort to reverse the decline by raising awareness at the local level – among children, young people, adults and decision-makers.

– Our vision is that our grandchildren will still be able to fish for, eat and enjoy noble crayfish in the future. That is still possible – but only if we all help out, says Lennart Edsman.

About the film

Watch Sagan om kräftan on YouTube

The film is based on the scientific article "Money Kills Native Ecosystems: European Crayfish as an Example" , which critically examines how hasty decisions and policy failures have harmed Nordic freshwater crayfish and their ecosystems.

The English original version was produced by Rotten Carrot Production, and the newly released Swedish and Finnish versions were created by QuetzalCoatl Production. The Swedish version has been supported by the County Administrative Boards of Gotland and Kalmar, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and the University of Eastern Finland.