More than 180 juvenile white-clawed crayfish have been released into the wild.

The release took place in Haverdale Beck, North Yorkshire, from Yorkshire’s first crayfish hatchery and marks a major milestone in efforts to restore the endangered species.

Lucy Atkinson, crayfish project officer at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said: “White-clawed crayfish are incredibly important for river ecosystems, acting as ‘ecosystem engineers’ and aiding in the breakdown of biological matter like leaf litter, feeding on algae, and provide an important food source for animals such as otter, fish, insect larvae, newts, and water voles.”