On
Wednesday afternoon, a group of Alaska Department of Fish and Game
employees waded into a swamp between Fourth and Fifth avenues in
Kenai. Armed with fine mesh nets and chest waders, the four state
workers scoured the area in search of crawfish, a lobster-like
crustacean most people associate more with gumbo than tundra.
You could almost hear zydeco music playing the the background.
The state workers ended up in the swamp after a neighborhood
resident reported Tuesday that he'd come across a live crawfish
hiding there. Bob Pugh, who lives near the swamp, said Wednesday
that he was out walking his dog when he noticed the unusual
creature.
"We were just messing around, me and my dog, and that's when we
found him," Pugh said.
After grabbing the somewhat lethargic ‹ but very alive ‹
crawfish, Pugh took the animal home and immediately reported his
find to Fish and Game. Since crawfish are not native to Alaska, the
department was a big skeptical at first.
"At first they didn't believe me," he said.
Once Pugh stopped by Fish and Game's offices between Kenai and
Soldotna with his new pet, the biologists' skepticism turned to
concern.
According to Tim McKinley, a sportfish biologist with the
department, the state is very concerned with the chance that there
could be more crawfish crawling around town.
"It's our mission to help preserve, maintain and enhance the
fisheries around here, and this definitely doesn't fit with that,"
he said.
McKinley said after Pugh brought the critter in, biologists
immediately went to work trying to figure out what they had on their
hands.
"We sent a picture of it to experts in Louisiana and Florida to
try and identify it for us," McKinley said.
Pugh, who is originally from Texas, said he's seen plenty of
crawfish in his day. But the one he found is not only alive and
well, it's also obviously well-fed.
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Sandee Simons of the Alaska Department of Fish and
Game uses a net to search for additional crawfish in the area
where the one above was found.
Photo by M. Scott Moon
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"It looks like a
miniature lobster," Pugh said of the 6- to 7-inch crawfish, which
Pugh is keeping in an aquarium at his home.
McKinley said he's certain the animal is a crawfish, and the
department is now trying to figure out how it got there, and more
importantly, if there's more.
"What we're trying to do is see if there's more and kill the ones
we find," he said.
If there are more, he said, it could be a potentially serious
situation. Since crawfish would have few natural predators in Alaska
and are adaptable to a number of environments, it's possible they
could establish a foothold in the area.
"Crawfish are really tough critters," McKinley said.
Bob Piorkowski heads the state's invasive species program in
Juneau. He said Wednesday that the danger of crawfish moving into
Kenai is that they're known to eat just about anything, and could
pose a major threat to native wildlife in the area.
"They're incredible vacuum cleaners," Piorkowski said. "They eat
everything."
Although crawfish are normally found far south of Alaska,
Piorkowski said it's entirely possible that certain types of the
animal easily could find the peninsula a comfortable home.
"Some of them can live fairly far north," he said, pointing out
that crawfish are known to live as far north as Vermont and Ontario
‹ places with climates similar to the Kenai Peninsula's.
Once crawfish do establish themselves in a system, Piorkowski
said they can essentially take over the entire area.
"The biomass of a system can get to as high as 70 to 90 percent
(crawfish)," he said.
This is not the first instance of invasive species coming to the
peninsula. Fish and Game already maintains an extensive northern
pike eradication program to curb the spread of the nonnative
predators. So the area is no stranger to unwanted visitors, and in
an area like Kenai ‹ which depends on its native salmon populations
for tourism, commercial fishing and subsistence ‹ that could mean
big trouble.
"It won't be the Kenai we know and love anymore," Piorkowski
said.
He said this is not the first time crawfish have been reported in
Alaska. Dead crawfish have been spotted in both Kodiak and
Anchorage, but this is the first time a live specimen has been
captured and brought to the state's attention. Until more are
located, however, no one has any idea how widespread the problem is.
Piorkowski said he'd like anyone with any information on crawfish
‹ or any other invasive species in Alaska ‹ to call his toll-free
hot line at (877) INVASIVE, or 468-2748.
McKinley said there is a chance that someone simply released a
single crawfish into the swamp. If that's the case, he said he hopes
whoever is responsible will come forward. Although it's illegal to
bring nonnative species into Alaska waters, he said the department
isn't so concerned about prosecuting any possible offenders.
"We're way more concerned with finding out what the deal is
here," he said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the four Fish and Game employees who
scoured the swamp had yet to find any signs of additional crawfish.
Although the area is home to a beaver, some sticklebacks and even a
few salmon smolt, no crawfish were found during the hunt ‹ which is
exactly what everyone was hoping for.
As for the little guy who caused all the commotion, Bob Pugh's
pet crawfish is getting comfortable in his new home: an aquarium
Pugh set up in his classroom at Kenai Montessori School, where he
teaches kids ages 2 to 12.
He's using the new find as a learning opportunity and is having
his students do research as part of a class project.
Although Fish and Game would prefer to see any Alaska crawfish
killed as soon as possible, this particular crawfish won't end up on
anyone's dinner plate. In fact, Pugh said his students already have
given the critter a name.
It's Crusty.
