The problem is, crayfish are aliens and don’tbelong in Arizona. They were introducedpurposely into a few Arizona reservoirs andother bodies of water decades ago, primarilyas a food source for sport fish. Unfortunately,they have dispersed beyond those originalsites on their own and have been acciden-tally (or intentionally) moved by humans toplaces they shouldn’t be. How did they getthere? Live crayfish kept as pets, used inclassroom science lessons or as fishing baitare sometimes released into bodies of waterby people who are unaware of the devastat-ing impact on aquatic ecosystem. The result?Crayfish are invading previously pristinewaters throughout Arizona.

Why is this a problem?Crayfish are a non-native species, whichmeans they are not a natural part of any ofArizona’s aquatic ecosystems. In a numberof areas, they are negatively impactingsport-fishing opportunities, native species,and the aquatic ecosystems that supportthese species. They compete for habitat andresources with sport fish, as well as with

native fish, insects, frogs, snakes, turtles,and snails, and they ravenously consumesubmerged aquatic plants. They contributeto the decline of rare or declining species,such as the Chiricahua leopard frog andThree Forks springsnail, and they degradeour springs, streams, ponds, and otheraquatic ecosystems. Streams and poolsinhabited by crayfish are usually devoid ofany submerged vegetation or a diversity ofother living organisms, and the water isdegraded by the silt they stir up.

You can make a difference!There are few simple things anglers, teach-ers, pet owners, crayfish connoisseurs, andothers can do to help prevent the spread ofcrayfish.

• Don’t transport live crayfish betweenbodies of water, or away from the sitewhere captured (see the Arizona FishingRegulations for current rules). You can,however, transport unlimited numbersof dead crayfish home, or to another sitefor use as bait.

• Don’t release any extra live crayfish orother baitfish in your bait bucket intothe body of water when you have fin-ished fishing for the day. Extra livecrayfish and baitfish should be hu-manely dispatched or given to anotherangler fishing at the site. Dumping yoursurplus crayfish and baitfish contributesto their spread, and could also spreadparasites and pathogens such as chytridfungus and whirling disease to sport fishand native species.

• Unwanted household or classroom petsshould never be released into any bodyof water. Instead, crayfish should bereturned to the place of purchase, given

to another responsible family or teacher,or humanely dispatched.

• Catch crayfish at every opportunity.They are a delicious source of protein width, and depth). and easy to prepare. The white tail andclaw meat are comparable in taste tolobster, shrimp, and crab.

With your support, the Arizona Game andFish Department can continue to providequality sport-fishing opportunities, whileprotecting native species and aquatic eco-systems for future generations to enjoy.

Crayfish Catching 101Angling for crayfish is a great outdoorfamily activity, with near guaranteed suc-cess. Families who would like to tryfishing for crayfish can purchase a FamilyFishing License at any Department officeat a significant savings. With an Arizonafishing license, you can catch unlimitednumbers of crayfish every day of the year.Although there is no limiting season,Mother Nature tends to slow or stop cray-fish activity during the colder months.Generally, crayfish seem to be most activebetween April and October, and in thewarmer summer months, they tend to bemost active at night.

Crayfish can be legally captured by anumber of methods; some require activeparticipation, while others take minimaleffort. Legal methods of take include:

• A fishing pole, rod, or stick with a lineand bait,

• Handheld dip nets,• Minnow traps that are less than 24

inches in length and 12 inches or less inwidth or height,

• Seine nets less than 4 feet in height and

10 feet in length,• Crayfish traps or nets that are less than

3 feet in any dimension (height,

• By hand or with any handheld,nonmotorized implement that does notfire a projectile.

Traps and nets can be homemade or manu-factured, but they must conform to theaforementioned dimensions. Unattendedtraps must have a water-resistant identifica-tion tag legibly bearing the name, address,and fishing license number of the angler(s)using the trap. Laminated business cards orthin sheets of aluminum inscribed with theaforementioned information can be at-tached to the traps with wire, plasticfasteners, fishing line, string, bolts, or simi-lar hardware.

The advantage of crayfish traps and netsover dip nets and fishing poles is that thetraps can be set, left unattended, andchecked later in the day or the next morn-ing. However, all traps must be checkeddaily to remove the crayfish and release anyfish or other aquatic animals accidentally

captured. Obvi-ously, you willneed some type ofbait to entice cray-fish into the trap.Raw, fatty meatssuch as chicken,pork, and hot dogsare proven crayfishattractants. Makesure you secure thebait in the centerof the trap withfishing line, a twisttie, or a fish hook.

Raw, fatty

meats such as

chicken, pork,

and hot dogs

are proven

crayfish

attractants.

Crayfish are not a native Arizona species, and at anumber of sites their presence is having a negativeimpact on both sport fish and native species.

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so, the water will turn murky, which meansit’s time to remove the crayfish.

Crayfish added to a pot of boiling waterwill cook up in about five minutes. Whenthe body or tail turns bright red, they areready to eat. For extra flavor, add garlic,peppers, lemon slices, crab/seafood boil, orother seasonings to the boiling water. Cray-fish tail and claw meat can be substituted inmany seafood recipes. They are deliciousdipped in prepared cocktail sauce. Try add-ing a little of your favorite hot sauce tospice it up. Place any leftovers in a plasticbag and refrigerate or freeze them immedi-ately for later use.

For additional information about crayfish inArizona, visit the Arizona Game and FishDepartment’s Web site at azgfd.com or contactthe Fisheries Branch at 602-789-3257, theNongame Branch at 602-789-3500, or checkwith your nearest Regional office.

Ugh and Yum!Whether you call themcrayfish, crawfish,crawdads, or aquaticcockroaches, those littlefreshwater invertebratesthat look like miniaturelobsters have become asignificant pest in manyparts of Arizona.

Where to Go?Crayfish are distributed statewide, but for-tunately they have not invaded every bodyof water. You can find them in canals,streams, bedrock pools, springs, ponds,livestock tanks, reservoirs, and lakes. Thetwo species in Arizona seem to preferplaces with a little rocky cover, aquaticvegetation, and still or slow-moving water.Some popular “crayfish fishing holes” in-clude lakes Mary, Ashurst, Hawley, WoodsCanyon, Apache, Horseshoe, Bartlett,Roosevelt, Canyon, Saguaro, and Pleasant;the countless streams and ponds in the

Tonto, Coconino,and Apache-Sitgreaves Nationalforests; and theColorado River.Many waters thatsupport sport fishalso contain cray-fish. Ask yourangling friendsabout their favor-ite sites or checkwith theDepartment’s Re-gional offices for

tips on finding your own special crayfishfishing hole.

Taking Your Crayfish HomeYou can catch and take home unlimitednumbers of crayfish 365 days of the year.But remember, only dead crayfish can belegally transported away from the site wherecaptured (see the Arizona Fishing Regula-tions for current rules). Crayfish can bekilled quickly by thrusting a sharp knifebetween their head and thorax, or cutting

off the head with wire cutters or tin snips.They can also be killed by covering themwith ice or boiling them briefly in water.Regardless of the method you use, the car-cass or meat should be treated like rawseafood and kept cold and clean at all times.

Cooking crayfish is easy whether you areat home in your kitchen, streamside, orlakeside. To cook them outdoors, all youneed is some clean water, a propane stove,and a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Be-fore you boil your crayfish, rinse off anydebris or mud with fresh water. Some cray-fish connoisseurs prefer to “purge” theircatch first. Purging cleans out the “vein,”otherwise known as the intestine. However,as with shrimp, the vein is easily removedbefore or after cooking. If you want to trypurging your catch, add a half cup of salt orvinegar to a bucket of clean water, mix well,then add the crayfish. After 30 minutes or

Crayfish tail

and claw

meat can be

substituted in

many seafood

recipes.

Crayfish

Arizona Game andFish Department

The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination onthe basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its pro-grams and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminatedagainst in any of the AGFD’s programs or activities, including its em-ployment practices, the individual may file a complaint allegingdiscrimination directly with the AGFD Deputy Director, 2221 W. GreenwayRd., Phoenix, AZ 85023, (602) 942-3000 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 130, Arlington, VA 22203. If you requirethis document in an alternative format, please contact the AGFD DeputyDirector as listed above or by calling TTY at 1-800-367-8939.

Arizona Game and Fish Department2221 W. Greenway Road

Phoenix, AZ 85023(602) 942-3000

azgfd.com

08/03

Connoisseurs of crayfish say it tastes best dipped inbutter with a squeeze of lemon.

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