ARIZONA CRAYFISH MONSTERS

Don't be fooled by the calm water.

This is one of my favorite places to go.  It seems to have plenty of fish and the water is reasonably clear.  Last weekend, my family and I went up to the rim country to do a little fishing and help remove some crayfish.  I knew it had Crayfish in it, but I was not expecting to find what we did.  It has been a favorite spot of mine and I do not want it overrun with crawdads.  I have targeted this place to remove crayfish, so I can keep them in check and still have a good fishing hole for the kids.  Earlier in the year, I had pulled many six inch crayfish out of here and considered that to be the largest "large crayfish" I had ever seen.  I was not expecting this.  I don't know what is happening here, but I did not catch any fish over about four inches.  This was a little disturbing, but it is possible to not catch fish on a fishing trip, (just not preferred).  Not only did we surpass the six inch crayfish, but we caught a lot that surpassed the six incher.  They were large, aggressive, and they did not seem to have any fear.  

 This trap was in the water for only about half an hour.  To my surprise, it had several in it and they were big.

Here you can see my wife has one with the pliers for a reason.  You don't want one of those claws sinking into a finger! 


This particular trip we were able to take in over a hundred of these monsters and there seemed to be plenty more.  We are going back.  This lake belongs to us, not the crawdads.

This is what happened to those that found their way in our traps.  We dispatched them humanely as possible.

Yep, you are reading it right.  It was 8 inches.  These were monsters.

PARTY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INVASIVE SPECIES MYSTERY!

This wasn't me, but I thought it was appropriate for the fourth of July.

I have read mixed stories on the matter.  It seems the different departments of state and federal agencies all have different versions, depending on who is writing the article.  We know that some spreading of Crayfish can and will occur when lakes, rivers, and streams connect.  However, There are too many lakes here that are not connected to make that be the complete conclusion.  I have not heard of the great crayfish migration as of yet, so that is out of the question.  With not a whole lot of choices left, it stands to reason that they have been planted, (whether it was mistake or on purpose).  We know they have been planted in the local canals for vegetation control.  However, the canals do not feed back to the lakes on high.  A good portion of the warm water lakes feed into the canal system here in the Phoenix metro, but not from the high mountain lakes.  So why are they there?  Why up north?  So far it does not make sense and the mystery begins!

COMING SOON:  We are going in the field!  We are going to practice what we preach!  We are going to go after these critters and see what kind of impact we can have.  Please send us e-mails on the lakes that are infested with Crayfish.  crawdaddyspecialist@gmail.com

INVASIVE SPECIES TAKEOVER!

 Okay, we have a problem.  If Arizona was in a 12 step program, the begining is to admit we have a problem.  In fact, it's one teensy, small aquatic, huge problem.  I can't tell you how many people I have talked to since my first post that said, " I didn't know that Crawdads were not native to Arizona!"  Half of the problem is making people aware that these mudbugs are out of place.  The other half is realizing  that crawdads being out of place and in the wrong place is BAD.  A lot of people in Arizona are from other places in the U.S. that have native crayfish. Seeing them here makes it seem like they belong.  I beg to differ with you, they are not supposed to be here.

SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT

This is not me.

OK.  We need to air a few grievances  Somehow people are under the impression I do not like Crayfish.  I have targeted them for Termination, and they are going to be eradicated.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Since I was a little boy, I used to catch crayfish in an irrigation ditch near the house where I grew up.  I was completely fascinated by them.  I have never stopped being curious about them and their part in the food chain and the whole circle of life.  I really believe they can have their place in our world, but not without being in check.  In their native lands (ecosystem), they are not running crazy.  

Snake keeping Crayfish in check.

They are an important part in the food chain and they have predators which is key to their control.  They are kept in check by their world that was built with them (as a key component and a food source to the ecosystem).  Arizona has a world that was built without Crayfish.  The introduction of them to this world makes them invaders and trouble.  If you have kids, you  know that walking into the candy store with kids means you are buying some candy.  No candy store owner in their right mind would ever leave the doors unlocked and open.  They wouldn't walk kids in and expect that they will only eat the candy that falls on the floor. That would be crazy!  However, that is exactly what happened here in Arizona.  The Crayfish were introduced for vegetation control and to be food for sport fish.  That seemed harmless because the greater effect was the canals would be clear and we would have more Bass.  In that day we were not so concerned with our ecosystems and endangered species, we were all about saving money and of course, making money.  

Racoon keeping things in check.

Once again we are now dealing with what it really cost Arizonans and we are dealing with the aftermath of the invaders, (or are we?).  The war with these invaders is still waging and we are scrambling on what to do.  The call to arms is in this instance is too late and we will never get back what was lost and taken.  Our lands are invaded, they are being destroyed, and being devoured.  There is not much hope of stopping that machine, unless we do something about it.  Our resistance is alive and well.  If you are reading this message; You are The Resistance!

ARIZONA INVASIVE SPECIES

The invaders in the flesh....or in the shell in their case.  The invaders were lurking in a small pond outside Forest Lakes, Arizona.  I was there on Memorial Day and had plans to take my children fishing.  The area was beautiful, right in the middle of the forest.  At this lake, there was a sign posted saying that the fish caught here were "catch and release only", which was perfect for me and my children.   The fish were slow to biting, but these little aliens were not.  Apparently, they will eat worms too.  These buggers hung on for their dear life (and also to their demise).  They were the largest sized crayfish I had seen in a long time and all of them were at least five to six inches long.  They were huge and from the looks of it, they were eating healthy.  We only caught one fish ( which was released), and I was not surprised.  I also noticed their was almost no aquatic plants growing in the shallows.  Little to no fish to catch, almost no plants, and I definitely did not see any amphibians near the grass or in the water.  As you guessed it, the invasion, was here.

No Arizona water is safe anymore.  Fish, aquatic plants, and amphibians are in an all out habitation war and they don't even know it.  That is how good this enemy is.  Do not be fooled in thinking it stops at the water.  Many species of birds and animals are just as effected by this war.  The war is real and they need help. No habitat left behind !

The war wages on.

ALIEN INVADERS ATTACK ARIZONA

Aliens!!!  Attack of the Aliens!  Are you prepared?  Get your guns, your wife, and your children (not necessarily in that order), and hide out in the cellar.  This is a no brainer.  If they flew down from Mars and attacked us for our natural resources, we would know how to act.  So why don't we know how to act with a real invasion?  And yes they are attacking us for our natural resources.  It is real and it is slow.  Do not be fooled by their size, or the fact they taste good in butter.  They are destroying our wetlands and leaving behind a mess.  Their real impact on Arizona is still unknown.  We are seeing some damage here and there, but we have not seen the desolation just yet.  I don't plan to find out what it is going to look like.  I am going after them and I am not hiding in the cellar.


Here are some of the early signs.  No vegetation in the water (because it has been eaten by the crayfish).  We think to ourselves, "What is the big deal?"  Nothing right?  Nothing, unless of course you are a frog.  A Chiricahua Leopard Frog to be exact.  You use the Grass in the water to hide from your natural predator; Birds.  Cranes to be exact.  No place to hide here.  The frogs use the grass to make it difficult for the cranes to find them.  The grass also offers a safe haven for tadpoles, minnows, and all sorts of  insects.  Feeding the cranes is not necessarily bad.  However, having them destroy their own food supply, is.  Who knows how the crayfish got here?  They may have been introduced years ago to help control the vegetation.  They might have thought it would be food for the fish and cranes alike.  I am sure they did not anticipate this.  None of us did, but that does not help us now.  We have to act and take this back from the invader laying and waiting here.  This does not belong to them, it belongs to the frogs and the birds.  Does this look like a harmful invader?

Don't be fooled.

THE CRAWDADDY SPECIALIST

THE DILEMMA

Why Crawdaddy?  Well, I am a dad.  I have kids and I love to go fishing.  If you go fishing anywhere in Arizona, it is hard not to run into Crawdads.  Fishing over the years, I have noticed the decrease in fish and the increase of crayfish.  This has puzzled me and has caused me to take a personal look as to what is happening.  In doing years of extensive research, I have learned a lot about Crayfish, in particular what part they play in the decreasing numbers of fish.  I have learned their habits, why they are here, where they came from (because there is no native species of Crayfish to Arizona), and more importantly what is being done about it.  The conclusion;  The Crayfish are eating the vegetation, they are eating anything they can get their claws on, and most importantly they are eating the fish.  They are taking my waters and devouring everything in their path.  In some locations, they have eaten everything and all that is left is themselves (which they eat each other too).  They are a machine that is rolling forward without an off switch and destruction is their wake.  So why Craydaddy?  Well this has now become my adopted baby.  I am a responsible person who will take action for something that has happened, where it is my fault or not. I need others to join the cause.  I need people to help me reverse the hands of time and return our waters here in Arizona to what they really are, and what they should be.  It is time to take them back from an Alien Invader and we are taking no prisoners.  GAME ON!