Illinois battles popular but invasive crayfish

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) reminds the public and seafood distributors that importing and possessing live red swamp crayfish, also known as crawfish or Louisiana crawfish, is prohibited by law in Illinois.

“Red swamp crayfish compete aggressively with native species for food and habitat, and they’ve been known to cause structural damage to property. In fact, they are considered one of the most invasive species of crayfish in the world,” said Illinois Conservation Police Officer Brandon Fehrenbacher, who oversees the IDNR Office of Law Enforcement Invasive Species Unit.

“These crayfish spread by escaping from live crawfish boils and from fishermen illegally using them as bait,” Fehrenbacher added.

No Special Permits

Illinois crayfish regulations only prohibit the importation or possession of live species.

The department does not issue special permits for live crawfish boils. Instead, Illinois residents should order frozen or steamed crawfish for their needs.

Any individuals and businesses that import, sell or possess live crawfish in Illinois are subject to fines and penalties that range from a petty offense with a fine of $195 to a Class 3 felony with fines and restitution totaling tens of thousands of dollars.

Illinois is one of many states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan, that prohibit the sale or possession of live red swamp crayfish to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species.

Highly Invasive

Red swamp crayfish are highly invasive and harmful to the environment if released. They burrow into the soil around dams, irrigation systems and levees, and they can cause severe and costly structural damage.

Red swamp crayfish destroy nesting and nursery grounds of aquatic species, compete with other fish and crayfish species for food and resources, and prey on the eggs of other aquatic life. The department maintains an approved species list identifying species approved for aquaculture, transportation, stocking, importation and possession in Illinois. There are four native crayfish species listed on the approved list that are legal to import and possess alive – White River crayfish, papershell crayfish, northern

Possessing the popular but highly invasive red swamp crayfish is illegal in Illinois.

Illinois hunters bring home 16,000 turkeys

crayfish, and devil crayfish. However, these species are not commonly used by the food industry.

Questions about crayfish possession can be directed to the Illinois Conservation Police at DNR.lawreception@illinois. gov or to the department’s aquatic nuisance species program at DNR.aquaculture@ illinois.gov.

To learn more about protecting Illinois waterways from the spread of invasive species, visit https://www.transportzero.org

Turkey hunters harvested a preliminary statewide total of 16,121 wild turkeys during the 2023 Illinois spring turkey season. This compares with the 2022 statewide turkey harvest of 13,701.

The top five counties for the 2023 harvest were Jo Daviess, 595; Jefferson, 487; Pike, 419; Pope, 379; and Randolph, 370.

The record harvest total for the spring season was set in 2006 when 16,569 turkeys were taken.

The 2023 total includes the youth turkey season harvest of 1,309 birds, which compares with the 2022 youth harvest of 1,258. This year, 80,643 permits were sold compared to 81,672 last year. Spring turkey hunting was open in 100 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The 2023 season dates were April 3 to May 4 in the South Zone and April 10 to May 11 in the North Zone. The Youth Spring Turkey Season was March 25-26 and April 1-2 statewide.