Call them crawdads, call them crayfish but whatever you call them, ringed crayfish are native to the central plains and Ozarks, not Oregon, and a recent discovery  of the invasive crayfish in Lane County's Row River new Cottage Grove is troubling biologists according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

Non-native Ringed crayfish were recently discovered in the Willamette River drainage. Photo by ODFW.

The crayfish outcompete our native signal crayfish and ODFW thinks their presence is the result of an illegally released pet or crayfish used as bait by anglers.

Ringed crayfish are one of three species of crayfish that compete with signal crayfish for food, shelter and space. 

A full press release from ODW is below this helpful video discussing the differences between ringed and signal crayfish.

Discovery of invasive crayfish in the Willamette River drainage concerns biologists

SALEM, Ore – Ringed crayfish have successfully invaded many rivers and streams in southern Oregon, but were just found in Lane County’s Row River. This is the first discovery of this species in the Willamette River drainage.

“To find Ringed crayfish in the upper end of the Willamette Basin is very alarming to us,” said Jeff Ziller, South Willamette Watershed District Fish Biologist. “Ringed crayfish have been found to outcompete our native Signal crayfish  for habitat and food. The non-native ringed crayfish dominate the crayfish populations in the Rogue, Chetco and Umpqua rivers, so this is bad news for Signal crayfish here in the Willamette system.

While on a recreational dive in late September, a U.S. Forest Service employee discovered two Ringed crayfish below the falls at Wildwood Falls Park on the Row River. With assistance from the USFS, the Coast Fork Watershed Council, and student volunteers, ODFW biologists conducted a presence/absence survey by placing numerous crayfish traps below and above the initial discovery site and some tributaries of the Row River down into Dorena Reservoir.

Adult Ringed crayfish were found below the falls between the park and reservoir. Only native Signal crayfish were found in the Row River below Dorena Dam and in sampled tributaries including Mosby, Brice and Sharps creeks.

Rick Boatner’s experience with these invasive crayfish tells him they were possibly used by anglers as bait or were illegally released into the wild by someone who had them as a pet. Boatner is ODFW’s invasive species coordinator and said it’s illegal to use live, non-native crayfish as bait except in the waterbody in which they were taken. It is also illegal to release non-native crayfish into the wild.

Boatner asks people to report any findings of Ringed crayfish or other non-native crayfish to ODFW and to not return them to the waterway. To report sightings of invasive species, call 1-866-INVADER or report it online at http://oregoninvasiveshotline.org or call ODFW at 503-947-6308.

Native Signal crayfish have smooth claws with a white “signal” spot on claw pivot and a wide body plate on the back. Learn more about crayfish here.

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