Biological and aquaculture characteristics of five stocks of redclaw, Cherax quadricarinatus (von Martens) (Decapoda: Parastacidae) from northern Queensland, Australia

Redclaw, Cherax quadricarinatus, is a freshwater crayfish endemic to rivers of north-eastern Australia. Aquaculturists have suggested that redclaw from different catchments may be of varying suitability for cultivation. Production characteristics (total yield, size/sex distribution), morphology, reproductive characteristics (size at maturity, fecundity), population structure and relative growth rates of five strains were investigated from the Gregory, Leichhardt, Flinders, Gilbert and Mitchell Rivers of northern Australia. On the basis of this information their relative suitability for aquaculture was assessed. Morphological variation was as pronounced within strains, as it was between strains and no consistent morphological characters were identified that would confer greater suitability for aquaculture to a particular strain. Reproduction characteristics were uniform among all strains. However, aspects of population structure and production characteristics varied significantly between strains. Flinders and Gilbert river strains displayed several, economically advantageous characteristics, which suggest that they are relatively better suited to aquaculture than the others