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Re: NFC: Exotic crayfish
Thats what exotics are russian roulette sure 9 times its ok but the 10th
time BANG !
I always explain it like this. Every place is a painting why are you
adding the beard ?
Robert Rice
NFC President www.nativefish.org
check out our email list at nfc-owner at actwin_com
Visit out Adopt A Tank , Exotics Removal, and Breeders Club Programs at
the website
On Wed, 16 May 2001 14:07:00 -0700 "Scott Olson" <olson7 at hotmail_com>
writes:
> Okay, folks, I'm one of those who generally reads tales of
> environmental
> disaster with a very jaundiced eye. I've found that many reports
> are
> exagerrations, nonsense, just plain false, or some combination
> thereof.
>
> I especially have mixed feelings about 'exotic' introductions, I'm a
> little
> afraid to admit here. As a hunter and fisherman, I've been the
> beneficiary
> of such introductions as rainbow, brook and brown trout, largemouth
> bass,
> pumpkinseeds, ringnecked pheasant, hungarian (gray) partridge,
> chukar
> partridge, valley quail and a few others. All of these have filled
> habitat
> niches that were, in whole or in part, not utilized by native
> species, at
> least in my 'home' state of Montana and in Washington, where I lived
> for a
> few years. I can't really say that I'm sorry that any of these
> introductions took place.
>
> Before I get flamed forty ways to Sunday, let me say that I
> certainly
> recognize the negative effect that zebra mussels, carp and a number
> of other
> introductions have had on local environments!
>
> I've gotta admit, my experience of this past weekend re-iterated
> that
> reports of environmental damage from introduced species should
> *never* be
> dismissed lightly.
>
> Somewhere (possibly on this list) I read a little while ago about
> the
> devastating effect crayfish are having on certain Arizona mountain
> streams.
> Crayfish? I thought...I'll believe that when I see it.
>
> Well, I have seen it. On a camping trip with my two sons last
> weekend, we
> stopped for a few minutes along the East Verde River to let the boys
> fish
> for stocked trout. It's a very pretty location, just below the
> Mogollon Rim
> of Zane Grey/Louis L'Amour fame.
>
> The *only* life we saw in the stream - a creek, really - was
> crayfish.
> Though I searched diligently for over an hour, I found NO aquatic
> insects of
> any description, nor was any aquatic plant life in evidence.
>
> I have never in my life seen such a population of crayfish - sorry I
> have no
> idea which species! Every rock - I'm not kidding - that I turned
> over had a
> crayfish under it! Probably over 90 percent of them were between 1
> and 2
> inches long, mostly on the smaller side. I saw only three juvenile
>
> crayfish, which I looked for specifically, and only two over 2
> inches,
> although there was one pincer lying on the bottom that was clearly
> from a
> larger individual than any that we saw.
>
> In trying to speculate what the future holds for the stream, I
> suppose it's
> cannibalism time for the crayfish - I don't know what else there is
> for them
> to eat! Hopefully there are otters, raccoons, herons and other
> animals in
> the area that can utilize the crayfish as a food source and moderate
> the
> population in the future...
>
> Just further grist for that old NFC slogan - never release any
> animal - or
> plant - into the wild! The effect is unknown, the potential for
> damage is,
> for want of a better word, extreme!
>
> I'm sure I'll be a little more open-minded when reading reports of
> habitat
> degradation by introduced species in the future. This old dog
> learned
> something new? Will wonders never cease!
>
> Scott
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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>
>
Robert Rice
NFC President www.nativefish.org
check out our email list at nfc-owner at actwin_com
Visit out Adopt A Tank , Exotics Removal, and Breeders Club Programs at
the website
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