Query from England

"Fatha -Jack" wrote in message
...
Many of our waterways are being taken over by the North American Signal
Crawfish. I have seen many recipes on TV in england using crawfish. I
adore shell fish & would like to know if this type of crawfish is edible.


Another crawfish which is used for food is the signal crawfish (Pacifastacus
leniusculus)from the western United States. This is a rather large,
non-burrowing crawfish which is found in streams among large rocks or
similar cover. Because it is the largest crawfish native to the Unites
States, it is caught for those markets which require an animal weighing from
2-4 ounces or more.
http://tinyurl.com/342u6

Crawfish harvesting is usually done with baited traps. There are several
types of traps. Traditional pillow traps are fished in water depths up to 6
feet. For the normal shallow ponds, some type of stand-up trap is used.
These traps are constructed of wire or plastic with ¾-inch mesh. They
normally have entrance funnels on at least three sides and some method to
keep the crawfish from leaving the normally open tops (Figure 4).

Traditional bait for traps has been some type of oily fish such as gizzard
shad or carp. Fish are cut into about 4- to 6-ounce pieces and dropped into
the trap. New bait is added daily. Beef melt and chicken parts are also
used. Baits manufactured from grains supplemented with fish oils or other
scents have recently become available. These baits are easily stored and may
last longer in the traps.

Time of harvesting varies with the location of the production facility. In
the South, harvesting is market driven. This means that many growers begin
harvesting in the late fall, October or November, and continue harvesting
daily until June of the following year. If markets are available through the
year, harvesting may continue through the summer. In the Midwest, harvesting
normally does not occur during December through March as the ponds either
ice over or cold water temperatures restrict crawfish movement.

crawfish recipes:
http://www.recipesource.com/main-dis...food/crawfish/

http://www.lacrawfish.com/recipes.html

http://www.justseafoodrecipes.com/ri...ype=Cra wfish

http://www.creoleman.com/recipes/crawfishrecipes.html

http://www.louisianafoods.com/recipes/