Today our main assignment was to do a survey of crayfish in McCallun pond. So we headed over there with a few buckets, a supply of plastic bags, and the preferred bait- dog food. There are many types of crayfish, but the ones that live in the pond are Louisiana Red Swamp Crayfish. The traps used to catch them are the same ones used for the capture of pupfish, but, since the crayfish are far from endangered, the traps are only checked once a week.
We waded in the pond to get to the traps. The day was hot and humid, so the water felt really nice. We squelched through the sticky mud, sloshing through schools of mosquitofish, and pulled up the traps, two at a time.
Back at the buckets, we sorted the crayfish inside into three approximate size groups. They goggled their eyes at us and waved their claws, acting stubborn and slow like they usually do. Some of the traps had a few fish, and I learned to identify a new kind of fish; the platy. They also are a big problem to the Desert Pupfish. They are beautiful aquarium type fish, with an opal-like sheen, and some of the males even had orange top fins.
After the traps were empty we refilled the slimy bait bags. To get to the food, the crayfish will chew right through the bag, so the ziplocks were riddled with holes and coated with black and green slime.
After checking all of the traps, we drove our haul back to the office. There we made sure there were no crayfish in the wrong groups, and created two subgroups in each size class. A few of the really big crayfish, who had been tussling with each other the whole time, defended themselves fiercely, scuttling around with their huge claws in the air. Each size group was counted and tossed in a bucket. A few of the littlest crayfish got to go in the crayfish tanks, but most were destined for the freezer. Freezing is really the most humane way to kill them.
Also, they are not native to California, and they need to be removed from McCallun because it is being prepared for the reintroduction of pupfish. It may be sad, but it's necessary.
I have gathered some information about the Louisiana Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus Clarkii). They are native to Louisiana and parts of Mexico, but have spread to many other countries including Europe, Asia and Africa. They live up to five years, and are highly adaptable and aggressive, which makes it easy for them to take over the habitat of native crayfish and aquatic life. The crayfish live in sluggish or stagnant water, and eat meat, including aquatic insects, worms, invertebrates and snails. They Louisiana crayfish is dark red, with a browner back. The underbelly and sides of the shell are a bright red. Some are more brown, or can be orange, white or blue. In cold weather or dry spells, they dig into the mud at the bottom of their home and stay dormant for up to 4 months. They are far from endangered, and are creating problems all over the world because of the ease with which they spread.
We waded in the pond to get to the traps. The day was hot and humid, so the water felt really nice. We squelched through the sticky mud, sloshing through schools of mosquitofish, and pulled up the traps, two at a time.
Back at the buckets, we sorted the crayfish inside into three approximate size groups. They goggled their eyes at us and waved their claws, acting stubborn and slow like they usually do. Some of the traps had a few fish, and I learned to identify a new kind of fish; the platy. They also are a big problem to the Desert Pupfish. They are beautiful aquarium type fish, with an opal-like sheen, and some of the males even had orange top fins.
After the traps were empty we refilled the slimy bait bags. To get to the food, the crayfish will chew right through the bag, so the ziplocks were riddled with holes and coated with black and green slime.
After checking all of the traps, we drove our haul back to the office. There we made sure there were no crayfish in the wrong groups, and created two subgroups in each size class. A few of the really big crayfish, who had been tussling with each other the whole time, defended themselves fiercely, scuttling around with their huge claws in the air. Each size group was counted and tossed in a bucket. A few of the littlest crayfish got to go in the crayfish tanks, but most were destined for the freezer. Freezing is really the most humane way to kill them.
Also, they are not native to California, and they need to be removed from McCallun because it is being prepared for the reintroduction of pupfish. It may be sad, but it's necessary.
I have gathered some information about the Louisiana Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus Clarkii). They are native to Louisiana and parts of Mexico, but have spread to many other countries including Europe, Asia and Africa. They live up to five years, and are highly adaptable and aggressive, which makes it easy for them to take over the habitat of native crayfish and aquatic life. The crayfish live in sluggish or stagnant water, and eat meat, including aquatic insects, worms, invertebrates and snails. They Louisiana crayfish is dark red, with a browner back. The underbelly and sides of the shell are a bright red. Some are more brown, or can be orange, white or blue. In cold weather or dry spells, they dig into the mud at the bottom of their home and stay dormant for up to 4 months. They are far from endangered, and are creating problems all over the world because of the ease with which they spread.
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