Oregon's Crayfish - don't let it loose!

Kyle Spinks with Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec recently found the remains of a Red Swamp Crayfish in Cedar Hills west of Portland. These crayfish are native to the SE US but are invasive on the west coast. They get moved around as bait for fishing and sometimes are released as pets or from restaurants or aquariums. Unfortunately, non-native crayfish like the Red Swamp Crayfish and the Rusty Crayfish threaten native fish, amphibians, crayfish, and plants by eating them and competing with them for food and shelter. Once established, non-native crayfish populations are very tricky and expensive to get rid of. Learn more about the impacts, laws, and management practices for crayfish in the Pacific NW from Oregon SeaGrant.

You can help prevent their spread by never releasing live crayfish into the wild, and by learning to identify our native Signal crayfish from non-native crayfish and reporting any non-native crayfish sightings here or at the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline. Our native Signal crayfish is invasive in California, so remember don't move species outside their native ranges, and don't let it loose!

Happy observing!
Lindsey

Posted on September 21, 2016 05:25 PM by wisel