Nile crayfish becomes opportunity in Egypt

From an enemy of fishers, crustacean turns into income opportunity in Egypt. This is Nile crayfish. The animal was brought from the US state of Louisiana in the 1980s to be raised in cages on the Nile River in an area south of Cairo. The project failed, and the crustacean was released into the river, where it found a favorable environment for growth and reproduction in the southern provinces of Egypt.

In an interview with ANBA, the Board chair of Toshkee Misr, Osama El-Sherbiny, told the story of the transformation of the Nile crayfish – also known as the Nile cockroach because it cuts fisher’s nets – into something beneficial and a source of export revenue for the country. Toshkee Misr is an Egyptian company that exports Nile crayfish (pictured above, the production operation).

Problems with crayfish coming from the United States were detected in 2005 when fishers began to complain their nets were being damaged and cut by the crustacean. The General Authority for Fish Resources Development (GFAR) deployed biological control work, but reproduction was high. That is why the crayfish has been nicknamed the Nile cockroach, as it reproduces three times a year, spawning about 500 eggs each time.