White-clawed crayfish: licence to catch them to carry out maintenance (CL23)

This licence allows you to catch and relocate white-clawed crayfish (also called Atlantic stream crayfish) between 1 July and 30 September to maintain water bodies, such as rivers, lakes, ponds and canals.

You can catch white-clawed crayfish by:

• hand
• hand net
• crayfish trap (you must also get permission from the Environment Agency before using a trap)

Register to use this licence

You must register with Natural England before you can use licence CL23. Send your completed registration form (CL23a) by email or post to:

You don’t need to register if you have a personal survey licence.

How to report your actions

You must report your actions taken using this licence each year. Send your completed report form (LR23) to Natural England by 31 January each year using the details on the form.

You must also submit details of any crayfish found to the Biological Records Centre.

Licence renewal

By returning your report form each year you’ve renewed your licence. You should check for any amendments to the terms and conditions of use on the latest published version of this licence.