A Dutch water board is calling for nationwide action to tackle the American crayfish, which has made its home in the Netherlands and is causing major damage to weirs and the banks of ditches and canals.

Weirs allow water boards to manage the water table, but the crayfish are disrupting the process because their digging causes leaks, the Schieland en Krimpenerwaard water board told broadcaster NOS.

“We can now determine the water level but if the weirs have holes in them, the water ebbs away itself,” said spokesman Freek de Boer. “We either have to let in more water or pump more out, and that takes a lot of money and energy.”

“We get three to five reports a week about leaks that need to be closed off immediately,” he said. “Five years ago we got one a month.”

The crayfish are also responsible for damaging plants and driving out fish as well as digging into weirs and dykes.

The American crayfish was first spotted in Dutch waters in 1985. It has few enemies and reproduces quickly, and some experts say there could be billions already here.

By law the crayfish can only be caught by professional fishermen.

In May, Utrecht council and water company Waternet called in aquatic ecologists to combat the rise of American crayfish in a new experiment using plants, predatory fish and AI.

By releasing predatory fish like catfish and by “turning on the light” by promoting the growth of plants like bladderwort which clear the water, species may be persuaded to return and the crayfish may feel less at home, the experts hope.