Tasty (But Invasive) Crayfish Invade Bristol Twp.

Bristol Township is seeing an invasion of invasive crustaceans.

The red swamp crayfish, officially called procambarus clarkii, gained attention this week as their push through Lower Bucks County has grown in recent months.

The red swamp crayfish, which are bigger than the majority of crayfish that are native in the Keystone State, normally live in the Gulf Coast plain and along the lower Mississippi River. However, over the past 30 years, they’ve expanded their range and become a troublesome invasive series.

According to U.S. Geological Survey data from June 2019, red swamp crayfish have spread to California, Michigan, Washington, North Carolina, Maryland, and into southern Canada. They were first reported in New Jersey in 2016 and Delaware in 2018. Federal tracking from spring doesn’t even list them yet in Lower Bucks County.

Silver Lake Nature Center Director Jerry Kozlansky, who is a naturalist, said the red swamp crayfish have spread in the area over the past year. He first reported them last year on an app used by naturalists when he stumbled upon one of the crustacean and did some research to identify the type of crayfish.

The invasive red swamp crayfish were first spotted by the naturalist at Silver Lake, but they have worked their way across Bath Road to natural pools in Delhass Woods.

“These guys can walk two miles and with the rain and wet weather, they walk right across,” Kozlansky said while displaying a live red swamp crayfish at the nature center.

In fall 2018, a LevittownNow.com reporter, who wasn’t aware of the invasive nature of the species at the time, spotted them along Delaware Canal State Park near Haines Road and off Green Lane in Bristol Township.

The problem is the red swamp crayfish can quickly decimate the local frog population and edge out native crayfish populations, which lose their food sources and habitat. The larger red swamp crayfish, which can grow to about 8 inches long, eat more and can devour food that other aquatic creatures need to thrive in area waterways, according Kozlansky and naturalists at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Kozlansky said the red swamp crayfish are known to burrow and build mud huts. The red swamp crayfish can cause problems with burrowing and building mud huts by destabilizing levees, dams, and other earthen infrastructure.

Here’s what the red swamp crayfish look like, according to Pennsylvania Sea Grant, a partnership of Penn State, Pennsylvania, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

Adult red swamp crayfish are a dark red color with bright red, white, or black bumps (tubercles) covering the body and claws. A black wedge-shaped stripe is visible on the top of the abdomen. Juveniles are a uniform gray, sometimes overlain with dark wavy lines.

It’s not clear how the red swamp crayfish made their way to Bucks County, but Kozlansky said infestations elsewhere started when the crustaceans were used as bait and escaped and by people who have let them loose in backyard ponds with the intention of harvesting them for food.

Although they look at bit more intimidating than some of the native crayfish species, Kozlansky said the crustaceans – native and invasive – aren’t likely to hurt you but they can pinch with their claws.

The Bucks County Courier Times and 6abc, which first reported on the crayfish invasion, shared the story of a Bristol Township family whose dachshund had a red swamp crayfish hanging on its ear after being let out. While it was a bit scary, the dog was fine.

“She’s standing there with this crayfish hanging on her ear. And she’s real docile and she’s not moving. It’s hanging there. I poured water on them to make it let go, you know,” the dog’s owner Dave Baskins told the TV station.

Kozlansky and Silver Lake Nature Center Assistant Director PattiAnn Cutter said the red swamp crayfish have no restrictions on hunting or removal in Pennsylvania because they are considered invasive by the state.

The best way to get rid of red swamp crayfish is to catch them and eat them.

The species is often used in gumbo and boils across the southern part of the country.

“When you’re down south, they’re used in gumbo and you can Google all the recipes,” Kozlansky said.

While they’re not as big as a lobster, they resemble them and sure do taste similar, Kozlansky assured.