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Officials ask citizens to be on the lookout for invasive crayfish
News Release Published: October 2, 2009 by the Central Office
Contact(s): Sue Beyler (262) 574-2121
Randy Schumacher (414) 263-8672
New online video shows invader, features rare underwater footage
GERMANTOWN – With trapping well underway for a destructive new invasive crayfish species found recently in a Washington County pond, state fisheries officials are calling on citizens to be on the lookout for the crayfish in other lakes, rivers and ponds and to follow new rules aimed at preventing such new invaders from gaining a foothold in Wisconsin.
A new video showing the invasive crayfish is now available online at Invasive Species
“We cannot do it all on our own,” says Sue Beyler, Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor in Waukesha. “We have to have the citizens out there keeping an eye on things. There are only so many of us out in the lakes and streams of Wisconsin and we really depend on the citizens to be our eyes and ears.”
The red swamp crayfish has reddish bumps on its claws while native Wisconsin crayfish have whitish bumps, Beyler says.
People who think they have found the red swamp crayfish in other southeastern Wisconsin waters can contact Heidi Bunk (262) 574-2130 or Heidi.Bunk@Wisconsin.gov. In the rest of the state, they can call Laura Herman (715) 365-8998 with University of Wisconsin-Extension or the DNR hotline: 1-800-TIP-WDNR (1-800-847-9367).
Beyler says that it's also important for people to not introduce nonnative crayfish into Wisconsin because the crustaceans can potentially decrease native fish, frog and crayfish populations. And, as of Sept. 1, 2009, it is illegal for people to possess them or transport them.
The crayfish was discovered by a citizen and reported to the DNR on Aug. 25, 2009. DNR staff subsequently collected other crayfish from the pond and the crustaceans were confirmed as red swamp crayfish, a species native to the southeastern U.S. and commonly raised by southern aquaculture operations and sold to restaurants and school teachers for their classrooms.
In other parts of the country where it has been introduced, the red swamp crayfish has harmed native fish and frog populations by eating their eggs, and outcompeted native crayfish populations. In addition, the crayfish clip off the aquatic plants that fish need for spawning, feeding and shelter. The crayfish reproduces prolifically and can move overland, increasing its chances of spreading on its own.
Since its discovery, Beyler and other DNR staff and cooperators from University of Wisconsin-Madison have been setting traps and surveying nearby waters to determine how widespread the crayfish is, whether it’s a reproducing population, and whether the crayfish have spread, all information necessary to help design a control plan.
In addition, research has been continuing into potential chemical treatments to help control the population. There are no chemicals currently registered in Wisconsin for use to control crayfish, triggering processes by which the DNR must seek manufacturer permission to use a pesticide off-label and gain other state and/or federal permissions.
More than 1,000 crayfish have been trapped, netted on land or caught by hand by DNR and UW crews. Subdivision residents also have been helping catch the crayfish.
Signs have been posted around the pond to alert boaters, anglers, and other potential users of the pond that the invasive species is present and that it’s illegal to move live crayfish from the pond.
