A huge freshwater crayfish, Astacopsis gouldi, was a highlight of the Tarkine BioBlitz yesterday, with expert Todd Walsh finding the superb specimen in a rainforest that remains unprotected from logging.

“I was lucky enough to trap a massive male Giant Freshwater Crayfish. This big boy weighed over 3 kilos with only one full-size claw. With 2 full-size claws, he would have tipped the scales at close to 5 kilograms. This large male is the biggest I have trapped in almost 40 years”, Todd Walsh said.

“For 20 years the Giant Freshwater Crayfish has been listed as a priority species under the Regional Forest Agreement; we’ve had governments trumpet how important it is and yet not one of them has put a hectare aside specifically for this animal.”

“It is now well past time for government to put selected areas aside to ensure these giant specimens are no longer such a rare occurrence”, Todd Walsh said