With invasive crayfish becoming increasingly widespread, evidence-based management is crucial to
protect freshwater ecosystems. Knowledge of the structure and function of invasive crayfish
populations allows for an effective evaluation of management efforts. Recent methodological
developments have enabled the first truly quantitative studies of UK invasive crayfish populations in
the field. This was achieved by the ‘triple drawdown’ (TDD) survey approach. In this article, we
explore current survey approaches and their limitations, and we introduce the TDD method with its
implications for crayfish survey, policy development and management
