Dear Laurel,

Thanks so much for your report to the Oregon Invasives Hotline, and thanks for also submitting photos! Yes, those crayfish do indeed appear to be ringed crayfish. I will forward this report to our State and National authorities. Ringed crayfish are known to be in the Rogue, Applegate, and Illinois, but this is the first report from the Chetco River.

Ringed crayfish are abundant in SW Oregon, but not in other areas of Oregon. Therefore, it is important to prevent their further spread from that area by never transporting live crayfish from one drainage to another. Please help us spread the word to anglers and river-recreationalists, and scientists who monitor rivers to take care and not move crayfish.

Here are some links to more information: http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=2267

Crayfish found in Oregon: http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/sgpubs/onlinepubs/e11013-accessible.pdf

Thanks again for your report!

Tania


Tania Siemens
Watershed and Invasive Species Education (WISE) Program
Oregon Sea Grant
Oregon State University
cell: 541-914-0701 email: tania.siemens@oregonstate.edu
http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/invasive-species/wise



Here is more information on ringed crayfish.

Tania Siemens
Aug. 30, 2014, 12:05 a.m.