Rare crays spotted near Anglesea

A PROGRAM led by Barwon Water has discovered endangered Otways crays near Anglesea for the first time in 10 years.

The crays are typically found between Warrnambool and Lorne, King Island and parts of north-west Tasmania.

However, they have only been found once before in Anglesea, in 2007.

Just under 30 of the species, known scientifically as geocharax gracilis, were discovered by Ecology Australia during the aquatic sampling program for the Anglesea borefield.

Barwon Water infrastructure services general manager Paul Northey said it was great to see the Otways crays in the Anglesea area.

“It’s a sign that the river health is suitable to support a diverse range of aquatic ecology.”

The monitoring is designed to help protect the health of fish and macroinvertebrates in groundwater dependent ecosystems.

Ecology Australia aquatic ecologist Katie Stevenson said it was an exciting find.

“It’s always exciting to find a threatened species and be able to contribute information on poorly understood animals like freshwater crayfish.”