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USGS · 1003146

Control of nuisance populations of crayfish with traps and toxicants

T.D. Bills·L. L. Marking
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Abstract

Crayfish have long been a nuisance in fishrearing ponds at fish hatcheries. The rusty crayfish ( Orconectes rusticus ) has displaced endemic species and caused serious declines of aquatic plants in some ponds and lakes in the midwestern USA. We attempted to evaluate the effect of intensive trapping on a crayfish population and to identify a selective chemical control agent and evaluate its effectiveness under field conditions. A crayfish population in a small pond was suppressed but not eliminated by trapping; adults were effectively harvested but efficiency diminished sharply as the population declined. Of 19 chemicals tested as possible control agents for crayfish, a synthetic pyrethroid (Baythroid) was by far the most toxic; 25 μg/L produced a complete kill of crayfish in the pond and was also the most selective for crayfish in laboratory tests.

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BibTeXRIS

T.D. Bills, L. L. Marking. 1988. Control of nuisance populations of crayfish with traps and toxicants. https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8640(1988)050%253c0103%3Aconpoc%253e2.3.co%3B2

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