Field testing of eDNA technologies to detect populations of non-native crayfish in Cumbria rivers (NECR326)

DNA – based methods offer a significant opportunity to change how we monitor and assess biodiversity. These techniques may provide cheaper alternatives to existing species monitoring or an ability to detect species that we cannot currently detect reliably.
However, for most species, there is still much development required before they can be used in routine monitoring. Natural England has been exploring the further use of these methods for environmental monitoring for several years, delivering a series of reports which focus on the development of DNA-based methods with potential in a particular area
This report presents the development of a technique using eDNA from water samples to detect populations of non-native crayfish and crayfish plague across rivers in Cumbria. It compares the findings with records from traditional monitoring