Invasive crayfishes are exceptionally difficult to detect and control

This Cooperative Agreement award, valued at $241,787.00, was provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (CFDA 15.662) federal grant program. The award supports efforts to improve early detection and monitoring of invasive crayfish species across the Great Lakes region. Key activities include:

1. Developing outreach materials on invasive crayfish for pet retailers in Illinois, and disseminating the materials through in-person meetings and mailings.

2. Organizing and leading a series of four educational workshops for natural resource management agency staff and conservation professionals to train them on identifying invasive and native crayfish species, as well as monitoring ecosystems for invasive crayfish.

The University of Illinois has been awarded a sub-grant under this agreement to assist with the outreach activities and facilitate the training workshops. This project builds on prior work to engage stakeholders and enhance regional coordination around invasive crayfish management across the Great Lakes basin.

Not only is crayfish sampling sparse throughout the great lakes but crayfish are notoriously difficult to identify which when combined with a general lack of knowledge on crayfish ecology and species life histories inhibits the effectiveness of early detection efforts at the regional scale. Collectively three invasive crayfishes procambarus clarkii red swamp crayfish faxonius rusticus rusty crayfish and faxonius obscurus allegheny crayfish are implicated in species displacements and foodweb disruptions throughout the great lakes. Other crayfishes including the parthenogenic marbled crayfish procambarus virginalis red claw crayfish cherax quadricarinatus and signal crayfish pacifastacus leniusculus have either been detected in the live crayfish trade or in regions adjacent to the great lakes. Phase i of this interjurisdictional project completed and compiled surveys of live pet stores from across the basin. Although there is an interjurisdictional interest in monitoring for invasive crayfishes more work is needed to establish widespread sampling and monitoring protocols across the basin that can improve early detection and efficiently prioritize with respect to time and resource investment areas of management interest. Throughout our previous interjurisdictional project project partners continually indicated the need for improved crayfish identification and sampling training for natural resource professionals. We propose to build upon our lead an interjurisdictional effort by continuing to engage with academic agency and stakeholder partners across the great lakes region to increase awareness of invasive crayfishes in the live trade and improve states abilities to monitor surveil and coordinate responses for the introduction and spread of invasive crayfish. Outreach and engagement with the live trade industry stakeholders will seek to improve knowledge and reduce the presence of invasive crayfishes in the live trade.