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| Joel LaFollette tending the Bug Boat - temporary home for crawdads and other river critters |
We've trapped a few of these over the years for various reasons - most recently for Joel's Kids Day at Royal Treatment Fly Fishing; I can certainly say the ones we've come across so far on the Clackamas and that creek behind our house in Portland have all be the 'good' ones....BUT if you come across others - keep 'em and eat 'em [and let ODFW know...]:
SALEM, Ore – Ringed crayfish
have successfully invaded many rivers and streams in southern Oregon,
but were just found in Lane County’s Row River. This is the first
discovery of this species in the Willamette River drainage.
“To find Ringed crayfish in the upper end of the
Willamette Basin is very alarming to us,” said Jeff Ziller, South
Willamette Watershed District Fish Biologist. “Ringed crayfish have
been found to out compete our native Signal crayfish
for habitat and food. The non-native ringed crayfish dominate the
crayfish populations in the Rogue, Chetco and Umpqua rivers, so this is
bad news for Signal crayfish here in the Willamette system.
While on a recreational dive in late September, a U.S.
Forest Service employee discovered two Ringed crayfish below the falls
at Wildwood Falls Park on the Row River. With assistance from the USFS,
the Coast Fork Watershed Council, and student volunteers, ODFW
biologists conducted a presence/absence survey by placing numerous
crayfish traps below and above the initial discovery site and some
tributaries of the Row River down into Dorena Reservoir.
Adult Ringed crayfish were found below the falls
between the park and reservoir. Only native Signal crayfish were found
in the Row River below Dorena Dam and in sampled tributaries including
Mosby, Brice and Sharps creeks.
Rick Boatner’s experience with these invasive crayfish
tells him they were possibly used by anglers as bait or were illegally
released into the wild by someone who had them as a pet. Boatner is
ODFW’s invasive species coordinator and said it’s illegal to use live,
non-native crayfish as bait except in the waterbody in which they were
taken. It is also illegal to release non-native crayfish into the wild.
Boatner asks people to report any findings of Ringed
crayfish or other non-native crayfish to ODFW and to not return them to
the waterway. To report sightings of invasive species, call
1-866-INVADER or report it online at http://oregoninvasiveshotline.org or call ODFW at 503-947-6308.
Native Signal crayfish have smooth claws with a white
“signal” spot on claw pivot and a wide body plate on the back. Learn
more about crayfish here.
Download your very own "Know Your Crustacean Chart" by clicking the image above
