Stunted Crawfish

[TerryBullard]

If anyone has come across a lake in WA that you might believe have Stunted Crawfish in it, please email me at (terrybullard@terrybullard.com.) Stunted crawfish are caused by over populations of crawfish which have run out of food sources and have quit growing. This applies to both Rusty crawfish in the north half of E. WA and the Signal crawfish on the coast plus E. WA to the south.

How to spot Stunted Crawfish. Normally your trap will hold large amounts of crawfish, provided they are not escaping of course. The crawfish will all be close to the same size and generally under 4" from horns to tail. When fishing declines in a once good area is also another indicator of a crawfish problem. A prime example is Corral Lake in the Seep Lakes area across the street from Mardon Resort. Moses Lake is well on it's way to a Prime Example as well.

I have received emails from other parts of WA I found shocking due to high populations of wild crawfish. Being in the Biz for 40 years there shouldn't be to much to surprise me but this does. I love fishing with walleye being on top of the list and I would hate to see that ruined.

My goal is to present F&G with some hard facts on crawfish populations and the impact they have on our fishing. I have always had a most positive dealings with F&G in the past and expect the same in the future. So, any information you can provide me will help!

Thank You

[The Quadfather]

Terry, I am a big fan of your work/and web page, info. etc. I wish I spent more time crawfishing to be of a service to you on this. Maybe this coming season I can spend more time in the mud. Thank you for your efforts in this area!

[racfish]

I dont know how much this plays into the stunted theory . Quite a few years ago someone released Thai Crawfish into lk Wa. Why ? I dont know. I heard they have a voracious appetite even eating some local species of crawfish.I slightly remember the fisheries guys saying do not eat them. Not for conservation reasons but they are undesireable table fare. Im not sure how big of impact this made on our own species and they're feeding habits.

[The Fisherman]

I fish on lake Washington often,what do Thai crayfish look like?

[Amx]

picture and stuff here;

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=Aku ... =yfp-t-504" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TerryBullard]

I dont know how much this plays into the stunted theory . Quite a few years ago someone released Thai Crawfish into lk Wa. Why ? I dont know. I heard they have a voracious appetite even eating some local species of crawfish.I slightly remember the fisheries guys saying do not eat them. Not for conservation reasons but they are undesireable table fare. Im not sure how big of impact this made on our own species and they're feeding habits.

Unless the someone is talking about another species of Thai crawfish rather then the common Thai Redclaw then it would be impossible for them to survive. Water is to cold for Redclaws. Actually I heard the same rumor myself. It did cause some mild panic, LOL. Redclaws do populate quickly, twice that of natives but they are passive critters.

It would be really cool if they could survive in the wild here!! There is only one spot in Texas that I heard about where the water stays warm enough to farm Redclaws. Due to the heavy restrictions by both Fed and State in transporting invasive species by land or air, it became impossible for those Redclaw farmers to operate. Redclaws are a very prized and expensive crawfish. As to table fare they are on top of the list!! Imagine a crawfish growing 10" to 12" in just a few years with 30% more meat, grin.

[The Fisherman]

If they don't belong here, lets not bring them here!