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Rusty Crayfish in the Great Lakes Region Overview | General Resources | Related Resources Select a species: Crustaceans: Cercopagis pengoi | Rusty Crayfish | Spiny Water Flea Fish: Common Carp | Goby | Ruffe | Sea Lamprey | White Perch Mollusks: Zebra Mussel Plants: Curly-leaf Pondweed | Eurasian Watermilfoil | Flowering Rush | Purple Loosestrife [Invasive species home page] 
Overview 
Rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) are native to streams in the Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee region. Spread by anglers who use them as bait, rusty crayfish are prolific and can severely reduce lake and stream vegetation, depriving native fish and their prey of cover and food. They also reduce native crayfish populations.
Photo Credit: Minnesota Sea Grant, Jeff Gunderson References: A Field Guide to Aquatic Exotic Plants and Animals, University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program
What's New Cleaning up the Great Lakes The Voice (7/30) New standards governing the cleaning of ballast water in ocean-going freighters, about to be adopted by the U.S. Coast Guard, should help prevent release of non-native species into the Great Lakes and other threatened U.S. waters. Luring an invasive fish with pheromones Great Lakes Radio Consortium (1/3) The discovery of a chemical compound that attracts an invasive fish could be a breakthrough in controlling harmful fish populations. Threat increasing from invasive fish Great Lakes Radio Consortium (9/9) A spiny fish that can hunt in the dark has invaded Lake Michigan. The foreign fish is known as the Eurasian ruffe. Another non-native fish species poses threat to lake ecosystem Chicago Sun-Times (9/4) The Eurasian ruffe, a small, spiny fish native to the Black and Caspian seas, has been found in the waters of Lake Michigan, which has wildlife biologists worried.
General Resources Exotic Crayfish Research Illinois Natural History Survey, Center for Biodiversity These studies, briefly described in the INHS's 1994-1995 annual report, assess the range of the rusty crayfish in Illinois and its impact on native Illinois species. Rusty Crayfish: A Nasty Invader Minnesota Sea Grant Program This 1994 fact sheet provides an overview of the rusty crayfish, including its origin and distribution, life history, food habits, potential impacts, control efforts and identifcation.
Related Resources GLIN: Agencies and Organizations, Fauna GLIN: Fish and Fisheries in the Great Lakes Region
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