The Marine and Water Authority wants to stop the spread of invasive and alien signal cancer. It carries a cancer plague, a parasite that kills the Swedish river cancer.

Therefore, the authority wants to introduce a force management area that includes Vättern, Hjälmaren and Örebro counties.

Together with geese, the signal crayfish is an important resource for fishermen in both Hjälmaren and Vättern, but according to Sofia Brockmark, investigator at the Marine and Water Authority, the rules will not affect professional fishermen.

- It will not affect professional fishermen, they will continue to fish and sell as before, she says.

Prohibition on giving away uncooked crayfish

Among other things, the Marine and Water Authority proposes that private individuals should be prohibited from handling uncooked crayfish.

- If you do not have an F-tax bill, you must cook the crayfish before you give them away or sell them, says Sofia Brockmark.

The risk, according to the Sea and Water Authority, is that people dump uncooked crayfish into watercourses, which causes the plague to spread to more water.

Fewer weekends to fish crayfish in Vättern

Another proposal is to reduce the cancer fishing period in Vättern. Today, crayfish can be fished five weekends a year, but now the authority only wants it to be fished two weekends a year, so that they can carry out checks and supervision.

- We have seen that from Vättern signal crayfish spreads with buckets to other waters, people come from far away to fish in Vättern. We want a greater opportunity to control fishing, says Sofia Brockmark.

The Marine and Water Authority also wants to prohibit the taking up of crayfish less than 10 centimeters, this is to minimize the spread of crayfish which are still not consumable.