Next time you catch crayfish for bait, check to make sure you haven’t caught any rusty crayfish, an aggressive, invasive species with rust-colored patches and green and rust-colored claws. If you do catch or spy a rusty crayfish, dump it in the trash and report the encounter to the DNR or Ministry of Natural Resources, depending upon where you are.
North Notes
Invasive Rusty Crayfish Crowd Out Locals, Diminish Fishing
Rusty crayfish reach up to four inches in length, excluding claws, and can devour twice as much food as native crayfish.
It is suspected that careless bait practices in decades past were what first introduced the invader to northern waters. (The rusty crayfish is native to Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky.) Despite current regulations about catching and using crayfish as bait only in the body of water in which they were caught, rusty crayfish seem to be spreading. The Ministry of Natural Resources confirmed in late August that they had been spotted in Cloud Lake, about 30 miles southwest of Thunder Bay. The presence of rusty crayfish has already been confirmed in other areas of the northern wilds, including Lake of the Woods, Quetico Provincial Park and Lake Superior.
“Rusty crayfish eat the vegetation that fish and aquatic invertebrates use as habitat,” said Davis Viehbeck, Ontario stewardship coordinator. “which may diminish angling opportunities in lakes they have come to inhabit.” In plain English, more rusty crayfish could mean lower-quality fishing.
Other aquatic invasive species of concern include round gobies, sea lampreys, water soldier (plant) and Eurasian watermilfoil. Learn more about aquatic invasive species and report sightings at www.invadingspecies.com.
