The Living Landscape: Egads! Crawdads
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Crawdads, crayfish, craydids: whatever you choose to call those crustaceans that bear a resemblance to mini-lobsters, they are probably not native to our creeks and waters.
Did you know that the one remaining native species of crawdad to California is the Shasta crawdad?
The signal crayfish is a prolific crustacean found in Lake County. Many of the crawdads that you find in our lakes and streams today are descendants of those brought in around 1912 from Oregon and Washington.
Some species may have made their way west from southern states during the Gold Rush era when miners had a hankering for some vittles from home.
According to researchers, there are around 400 species of crawdads in the U.S.A. with almost half on the endangered or threatened list.
The good, the bad and the ugly of crawdads is that some species are important food for river otters, herons, egrets and raccoons – and many humans love to eat crawdads and use them for bait, as well.
However, invasive crawdads have been known to consume important species like California newts, and they devour frogs and fish of all manner by utilizing their imposing and complex claws and jaws.
As they ascend from burrowing under gravel, mud and rocks they can stir up detritus and cause nuisance amounts of sediment in the water which can disturb fish life. In irrigated agricultural areas the crawdads often clog up irrigation pipes.
These freshwater animals possess two large claws, like a Maine lobster. Here in California, the fully mature crawdad can be 3 to 6 inches in length. Colors of crawdads vary from brick red to grey to green hues.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there are regulations regarding the catching of crawdads. They can only be caught using the following methods with a valid fishing license: by hand, hook and line, or through the use of a net if its dimensions reach no larger than 3 feet.
The regulations state that, "Crayfish can be caught year-round, and there is no bag limit on them (CCR Title 14, section 5.35)."
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife goes on to explain that there are protections in place for the Shasta crayfish since it is the only native crayfish and also holds an endangered species status.
One more item of importance from the Department of Fish and Wildlife: "There are also special laws and rules in place throughout the state to prevent the spread of Quagga and Zebra mussel infestations. The use of crayfish caught in contaminated water for bait may not be prohibited, but it is illegal to move adult or larval Quagga and zebra mussels from infested waters."
Crawdads are consumed worldwide in tasty bisques, boils or in soups, but in the Czech Republic, they are fitted with sensors to monitor water used in brewing their beer. If the crawdads display changes in their pulse, the waters are screened for pollutants.
In Australia, there are fossil records of crawdads that reach past the 30 million year mark, along with evidence displayed in the strata of some fossils found in the early Mesozoic era.
Those crawling crustaceans have definitely made themselves at home in the world.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, freelance writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.”