08/28/2024
Welcome back to ! Today, we are comparing the native Calico Crayfish to the Invasive Rusty Crayfish.
Benefits of Calico Crayfish include:
✅ Breaking down dead plant material, which promotes nutrient recycling and makes food available to smaller organisms
✅ Being a nutritious food source for larger organisms
✅ Used as bait for anglers
Negative impacts of Rusty Crayfish include:
❌ Destroy aquatic plant beds, which decreases fish spawning habitat
❌ Consume both plant and animal matter, leading to increased competition for food
❌ Larger size and aggressive nature helps them outcompete native species for food and space
❌ Can hybridize with native species, impacting gene pool
❌ Only one egg-carrying female has to be introduced to a waterbody to start a new population
Rusty Crayfish is just one of many aquatic invasive species (AIS) threatening the health and resiliency of the Great Lakes Watershed. Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers has many great tips on how to prevent the spread of AIS at https://stopaquatichitchhikers.org/.