Inigo: We work a lot with burrowing crayfish in my lab. Using traps made from pvc pipe inserted into the burrow opening can work, but make sure you check the traps first thing in the morning to avoid cooking your crayfish. Another simple technique that works for species that forage outside their burrows, is to just put on a red headlamp and catch them at night. This is especially effective for semiterrestrial species when they are moving around after a rain event.
Dan Daniel A. Soluk, Associate Professor Dept. of Biology University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion, SD 57069 ph. 605 677-6172 ________________________________________ From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [[email protected]] On Behalf Of Kelly Stettner [[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2010 9:12 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Crayfish Inigo; never having tried to noodle a crayfish out of his hole with bacon, I'm intrigued by this approach! Here in Vermont, I deal mostly with river and stream crayfish. I catch them by laying a net with a D-shaped frame on the river bottom behind a particular rock, then 'startle' the critter out from under the rock from the front. Since, like lobsters, crays flip their tails to escape in backwards burst, this is usually pretty effective. Another method I've helped with is to use minnow traps baited with a small opened can of moist catfood. Leave it out overnight and you should have a few 'mudbugs' by morning. As far as wrangling the little beasts, I try not to. My daughter, however, is adept at this: she slowly advances a hand toward the critter, thumb and forefinger extended, then quickly and FIRMLY catches it in a pincher-hold just behind the claws, sort of grabbing it in the armpits, so to speak. The little guy can flip its tail and wave its claws, but neither is very effective if you have a good hold. The claws usually end up extended up and out, and you can get a nice view of its underside this way. You could visit the seafood counter at your local grocer's to see how they handle the lobsters, just for reference. Cheers, Kelly Black River Action Team (BRAT) 45 Coolidge Road Springfield, VT 05156 http://www.blackriveractionteam.org
