Nobody knows better than sportsmen just how much havoc an invasive species can wreak on an ecosystem, and some recent news from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) may have the shiver that has invaded my spine invading yours, too. There’s a new threat to the Great Lakes that, should it ever eventuate, is going to make the zebra mussel look like a friendly tourist. It’s called the marbled crayfish, and its scientific name will give you a clue as to why this humble-looking crawdad is more than a little terrifying: Procambarus virginalis.
Did you notice that Latinate “virgin”? That’s because the marbled crayfish is capable of the arthropod version of a virgin birth. Per the MDNR: “Marbled crayfish, also known as marmorkrebs and virgin crayfish, are increasing in popularity in the aquarium trade due to their unique ability to reproduce by cloning. All known specimens are genetically identical females that can produce up to 700 eggs per reproductive cycle without the need for fertilization.” (Emphasis mine.)
We’re not really dealing with a “crawdad,” then; it’s a “crawmom” capable of asexual reproduction like a tiny Cloverfield monster.
So, the good news is that right now the Great Lakes don’t have any marbled crayfish in them. The bad news is that apparently a bunch of people who have never seen Jurassic Park thought it would be a good idea to cultivate a critter in their aquariums that’s capable of completely taking over the Great Lakes should even one get into the ecosystem. To quote Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm: “Life, uh, finds a way.”
The MDNR has just listed the marbled crayfish as a prohibited species for that reason. Species that are prohibited in Michigan cannot be possessed, introduced, imported, sold or offered for sale as a live organism, except under certain circumstances. They are asking owners of marbled crayfish to humanely dispose of any specimens in their possession and clean tanks thoroughly to assure no eggs or young remain.
If you or someone you know needs to humanely dispose of their marbled crayfish, please don’t flush them down the toilet. It doesn’t necessarily kill the animal, and it may well actually introduce it into the water system we’re trying to keep it out of. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s Guidelines for Euthanasia of Animals: 2020 Edition provides recommendations for humane disposal of aquatic invertebrates including crayfish.
“Marbled crayfish are believed to originate in the aquarium trade, and as such, they have no documented native range,” said Lucas Nathan, DNR aquatic invasive species coordinator. “In some areas where they have been released in Madagascar and several European countries, they have become established and spread rapidly.”
Native white river crayfish and calico crayfish are somewhat similar in appearance to marbled crayfish. To find information on identifying the marbled crayfish and distinguishing it from native species, visit Michigan.gov/Invasives.
Kent Miano says
Apparently there aren’t any Coon-Ass living in Michigan… 😛😛
Scott says
Man, oui.
BronzebackHunter says
What are they doing exactly to destroy the lake? Nothing was ever said. #feedthesmallies
GranJan says
Generally, these non-native species eat the young of other species that do not have this type of predator. Crawfish eat anything that they can catch, which is almost anything. They will put the entire Great Lake fishery ecosystem at risk of not producing any fish that will live to reproductive age. What few fish live to breeding age may lose their entire season of eggs to these guys.
Loyd says
For goodness sakes,Flordia has the Burmise pythion a they are eating the everglades up,keep these critters in a cage, don’t turn them loose.
Rattlerjake says
Bronzeback, did you even read the article? NO, I didn’t think so. It said, “So, the good news is that right now the Great Lakes don’t have any marbled crayfish in them.” The objective is to prevent it’s release so that it never presents a problem.
John says
Louisiana Crawfish Tails are getting very expensive!
Don’t care for the Chinese tails.
Chaplain Rodger D. DeRamus says
Down here in the South, a hurricane released some extreme predators into our ecosystem and they are causing some severe problems.
I would hate to see that happen to the Great Lakes.
Harry Hands says
You may as well had it on a billboard. Some people are so ignorant it cannot be defined. Look at some of these comments. How much more proof does one need. What you did was request someone to go put them in. And………they will.
Hickory Starr, Jr says
You can be assured that some one reading this will be very happy to dump some of these critters into the great lakes, very soon.
Brent says
I take a few sacks. Boil them with some crab boil, potatoes , corn, and some other vegetables, Throw in some sausage and hot dogs (for the kids)/
Invited a few friends over and peels some tails and sucks some heads while drinking some beer.
What more can one ask for if he not going to the gun range.
By the way if you want to freeze the meat just boil them in plain water for 2 to 3 minutes and peal the tails. wash tails of any fat and store in freezer bags (air free). They are good in a egg omelet, Make a stew out of them, fry them. or many other ways.
Its hard to find anything that crawfish don’t go good with.
Mason says
Krist you sound like Bubba (Gump) describing the 100 ways to prepare shrimp. What Bayou did you crawl out of?
Rattlerjake says
If you put them live into a slightly saline solution for a few hours and then cook them they have an even better (more like lobster flavor. They can also be dehydrated, ground up and used in soups. I seriously doubt that this crayfish would cause the problems being claimed. There are several pros to the argument – 1) crayfish will decimate the mussel population, because they will feed heavily on the eggs and larval mussels, 2) they will provide a great food source for most of the predatory fish, 3) crayfish are mainly SCAVENGERS which means they will help keep the lake clean, 4) crayfish could become a very lucrative northern industry – they’re easy to trap, store well, and taste good (poor man’s lobster),
This article is just another media hype. Years ago Michigan was also complaining and worrying about the red swamp crayfish. Maybe instead of worrying so much, they should establish plans of how to MANAGE them if they do end up there – because it WILL eventually happen, just as the Asian carp WILL eventually make it into the Great Lakes. Usually these species are limited by environmental conditions like freezing temperatures. Crayfish require a warmer 59 deg F to reproduce, which limits them, and most late season eggs and young would be killed by freezing winter temps.
Bill says
We all know some fool, just to be an a$$hole will intentionally release some.
Joesblue says
Yes they seem to be edible and tasty.
Do a google search .seems to be a few people raising them as a cajun food source. Hope the purveyors of these creatures dont wash eggs down the drain when cleaning tanks or the market will be overrun
.
Ronnie D. Stidham says
Fish food/bait, cat food, bird food!
Walter Huston says
Randy, NO! If you use them for animal food or bait, there’s a real good chance of them getting into the ecosystem.
Rattlerjake says
Randy is saying that if they do become a problem, those are possible uses to harvest them for. They could also be harvest.d for fertilizer. The problem is that the huge corporations will prevent them for being marketed because when there is an abundance then the price for goods made from that abundance goes down. Just like the asian carp disaster in the Mississippi river — why aren’t there dozens or hundreds of fertilizer factories grinding those fish up for CHEAP fertilizer? Why aren’t they being used for making fish sticks, fish patties, etc.? Because the major industries want high profits, not produce inexpensive products. Why don’t they harvest the carp in “record” numbers to make pelleted fish food for raising other farmed fish like catfish, trout, salmon, etc.? Same reason, they want the higher profits. I wish I lived along the Mississippi River, I’d have the greenest garden on the planet, and I’d be eating a lot more fish – asian carp are very good eating.
Ben says
Oh yeah Rattlerjake, smoked asian carp is excellent.
James Tuttle says
Send me some a dem marbled crawfish. I’ll boil dem and eat dem and give you a revue. ET landed in south Louisiana once. He was very tastey
Gregory says
🤣
RedneckTech says
I agree, James. Y’all just send them down here to Louisiana and we will “humanely dispose” of them for you. I’ll go start the water boiling.
Mason says
Is it true Boudan is made from road kill?
Jeff Caldwell says
Sounds like a crawfish boil to me. C’est la vie!
randy bauer says
Brian is right. The only real way to control invasive species is to educate people on how tasty they are. After all, humans usually destroy a species so we can eat them. This is just another such scenario.
Stephen Collins says
no Randy contrary to that belief it goes just the opposite.
When the Govmt. deems an animal protected it allows breeding farms and pools that allows certain entrapronours to delve into reproducing and proliferation of the species to make a profit.
The Cayman green turtle, western bison or Buffalo ( Beefalo), and the Florida alligators are living proof of. this actions.
Mason says
NOBODY eats zebra mussels. Thus, invasion.
Walt says
I wonder what Zebra Mussels taste like. I sure have seen a ton of them here in Michigan. By the way. When the water is so clear that you can see several feet down to the bottom of the Detroit River that is not a good thing.
Rattlerjake says
Although what you said is partially true, it’s actually not what you think. First of all, when an animal is characterized as “protected” it’s popularity is because of it’s rarity. Meaning that if you can raise it for food then you can charge ridiculously high prices for it. The three animals you mentioned also take a long time to reproduce to usable numbers and some take years or decades to become eating size. If I sell a dozen gator tail steaks, I’d have to sell a crap load of crayfish to make the same profit. Also, it’s all about harvesting – it isn’t worth raising crayfish when they are everywhere and anyone can go out and catch as much as they want, and because they are plentiful there’s no money in harvesting them, same with the mussels, asian car, wild hogs, etc. I grow crayfish in an above ground pool for my own use. They are easy to breed, easy and cheap to feed, and take very little work – why buy them. I can shoot all the hogs I want, any time of year, and I costs me nothing, in fact many land owners will pay you enough to cover your expenses.
Brian Kensel says
Are marbled crawfish edible as are their more traditionally created cousins? If so, would the food industry be a possible solution to any proliferation of them that does occur?
Rattlerjake says
When the market is flooded with it there’s no profit hence no desire to market it.