Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2018

AUTHORS. Seth J. Herbst , Nicholas Popoff, Sara Thomas -Michigan Department of Natural Resources – Fisheries Division; Brian Roth, Kim Scribner, Dan Hayes, Kelley Smith, Greg Byford - Michigan State University Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

ABSTRACT. Red swamp crayfish are one of the most widespread invasive species worldwide. The invasive crayfish has multiple pathways for introduction and spread, which when combined with their invasive characteristics makes this species a high risk for introduction and negative impacts outside their native range in the southeastern U.S. As such, many natural resource agencies throughout the Great Lakes Basin have been active with implementing measures to prevent the introduction and spread of red swamp crayfish. In Michigan, for example, the species was listed in 2015 as prohibited within the Natural Resource Environmental Protection Act - Part 413, making it illegal to possess the species live regardless of the purpose. In addition, efforts to increase public awareness of the negative impacts of the species were undertaken in hopes to prevent introductions. Despite taking preventive measures, red swamp crayfish were detected and infestations were confirmed in July 2017 in multiple locations throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The response efforts, led by Michigan DNR (MDNR) – Fisheries Division, have been multiple faceted and collaborative. The MDNR partnered with Michigan State University to craft a response plan that aimed to address the following goals: 1) Implement and evaluate an early detection monitoring strategy in high-risk areas; 2) Implement and evaluate control measures to increase effectiveness of response efforts; 3) Determine the distributional extent of the infestations in Michigan; 4) Determine the source and relatedness of red swamp crayfish infestations; 5) Collect baseline biological and physical information that will inform a future assessment of impacts. Response actions have benefited from great collaboration, but have not always been seamless. We describe lessons learned that can be applied to future responses for red swamp crayfish in Michigan, but also that can be applied to response activities for other invasive species.