VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has confirmed the presence of invasive Red Swamp Crayfish found at an outdoor Muskellunge rearing pond at the Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Van Buren County. Hatchery staff found the carcasses of 2 crayfish in collection baskets of the Wolf Lake Hatchery Pond 20 after the pond was drained. Staff set traps for more crayfish in the pond and in ponds nearby, and found one crayfish they were able to positively identify.
Red Swamp Crayfish are native to the southern U.S. and have been prohibited in Michigan since 2014 for their tendency to out-compete local crayfish species. The Michigan DNR also says the invasive species has a high reproduction rate and can destabilize river banks and infrastructure if released into the wild. Isolated infestations have been detected in Kalamazoo, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and Van Buren Counties since 2017.
Hatchery staff do not know where the crayfish came from in Pond 20, but Michigan's Invasive Species Program is exploring several possibilities, including populations just 15 miles away. The DNR and MISP are working to determine the extent of the infestation and minimize the spread. Infestations are believed to result from the release or escape of aquarium pets, live bait or live crayfish brought to Michigan for crawfish boils.
For more details about the invasive Red Swamp Crayfish, visit michigan.gov/invasives. If you find the invasive crayfish, collect and freeze a sample or take photos, note the location and email information to the DNR Fisheries Division biologist Kathleen Quebedeaux.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
