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Vulcan, Alberta, Canada |
Observations of Northern Crayfish (Orconectes virilis) in Alberta waterways have been reported in the news media since 2013 (White, 2013). A review of available news reports related to unusual observations of Orconectes virilis was undertaken to ascertain the spatial extent of their current distribution (see Table 1).
A request for recent documented observations of crayfish in Alberta was made through local SCUBA diving social media groups to identify additional unreported locations. Recent observations of Orconectes virilis were received for two new locations not described in media reports. An April 17, 2021, observation was made in McGregor Lake, where multiple crayfish were collected while SCUBA diving. A second observation was made at Travers Reservoir on July 4, 2021, where crayfish were collected using fishing techniques. In both reports the collected crayfish were cooked and consumed onsite.
Williams et al. (2011) describes the native range of Orconectes virilis in Alberta being limited to the Beaver Watershed. They go on to explain that although natural expansion of its range may be occurring, anthropogenic introductions have contributed (Williams et al., 2011). It has been suggested that use of Orconectes virilis as live bait best explains their current distribution in the province (Kolafa, 2018; Williams et al., 2011).
Both McGregor Lake and Travers Reservoir located southeast of Calgary are part of the Bow River Irrigation District which are fed by the Little Bow River (BRID, 2021). The system connects to several other waterways in Southern Alberta including the Bow River and Oldman River, eventually discharging into the South Saskatchewan River (BRID, 2021). Although not reflected in the media, the presence of Orconectes virilis was confirmed in McGregor Lake and Travers Reservoir as early as 2009 and reported in the literature by Williams et al. (2011). However, Williams et al. (2011) did not identify the presence of Orconectes virilis in several other locations reported in the media including the Red Deer River and Elbow River suggesting the possible value of cooperation, local ecological knowledge, and citizen science in understanding the species’ full range expansion.
Invasive species have been recognized as one of the five direct pressures on global biodiversity and freshwater systems are among the most at risk (Ekins et al. 2019). This pressure manifests through direct and indirect competition with native species, predation, and habitat degradation (Ekins et al., 2019). The ecological impact of invasive Orconectes virilis has not been extensively studied (Kolafa, 2018). However, it has been suggested that they likely compete directly with native fish species for food (Phillips et al., 2009; Prowley, 2018), and predate on native invertebrates, tadpoles, and small fish (Broom, 2017). The introduction of Orconectes virilis represents a disturbance that could lead to a non-linear shift in ecosystem function as described by Holling (1986), facilitated by a potential loss of resilience, through the cumulative negative effects of pollution, habitat destruction and irrigation use in Southern Alberta watersheds (MacPherson, 2020; Williams et al., 2011).
Disruption of the ecological system by invasive species including Orconectes virilis also have the potential to disrupt the local sport fishery, negatively impacting social and economic systems, reducing the resilience of the combined socio-ecological system as described by Farley and Voinov (2016). However, there is evidence that new social structures have developed around the harvesting of Orconectes virilis for consumption (Fominoff, 2017; Offin, 2016). If the invasive Orconectes virilis have become a potential contributor to social well being, Armitage et al. (2012) remind us to consider “resilience of what, for whom” before making decisions regarding their management.
Comments provided by Nicole Kimmel Alberta Environment and Parks Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist:
"They recently changed the Latin of this species to Faxonius virilis.
We suspect that native range was not captured correctly and have adjusted regulations to no longer protect crayfish in the Beaver watershed. We know that they are present throughout most of central and southern Alberta. We aren’t surprised to find them from Whitecourt east to SK border and to the south outside of the foothills and mountain regions. We have also made a recent discovery of Northern Crayfish in the Bear Creek south of Grande Prairie.
We focus most of our management of Northern Crayfish on prohibiting bait use and live movement to deter human assisted introductions. Charges regarding live crayfish movement have been laid by Fish & Wildlife Officers as recent as 2020.
We encourage crayfish reports to our AIS Hotline as well as take observations through EDDMapS smart phone application.
We are concerned by the impacts enough that we have allowed and in some cases enabled unrestricted harvest of Crayfish, as much as we can without compromising other fish. We have the following messaging for Northern Crayfish:
Northern Crayfish although native to Alberta, can modify the abundance and diversity of insects and macroinvertebrates, which has contributed to the decline of many native and endangered species by limiting the amount of available food and changing the habitat. We are also on the lookout for other invasive crayfish that could be introduced (Red Swamp Crayfish, Rusty Crayfish and Marbled Crayfish).
Note: As per the Alberta Guide to Sportfishing Regulations “In all waters, people may harvest crayfish without a licence by legal means which currently includes, dip net, seine net, minnow trap and capture by hand, angling for them still requires a license (for open water bodies only). The retention and transport of live crayfish is illegal and all retained crayfish must be immediately killed to prevent the spread of this species; it is also illegal to use live crayfish as bait."
References
Alberta Wildlife Association. (2021). Major watershed basins of Alberta [Photograph]. https://albertawilderness.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/20190626_ab_major_basins.png
Armitage, D., Bene, C., Charles, A., Johnson, D., & Allison, E. (2012). The interplay of well-being and resilience in applying a social-ecological perspective. Ecology and Society, 17(4), 15.
Bartko, K. (2017, September 26). Invasive giant goldfish to be killed off in St. Albert ponds. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/3769796/invasive-giant-goldfish-to-be-killed-off-in-st-albert-ponds/
Bow River Irrigation District (BRID). (2021). About us. https://brid.ca/about.html
Broom, N. (2017, July 27). Crayfish species invading Red Deer River. Drumheller Online. https://drumhelleronline.com/local/crayfish-species-invading-the-red-deer-river
Calgary Eyeopener. (2020, April 22). Why crayfish are scuttling into rivers and streams throughout Alberta. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/crayfish-alberta-1.5541606
Dave’s Dives (2021, September 16). McGreggor Lake April 17, 2021. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62N3lhATcWQ
Dippel, S. (2019, June 19). Overlooked Calgary creek gets some spotlight at city hall. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/city-council-nose-creek-stormwater-environment-1.5182357
Ekins, P., Gupta, J., & Boileau, P. (Eds.). (2019). Global environment outlook – GEO-6: healthy planet, healthy people. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108627146
Farley, J., & Voinov, A. (2016). Economics, socio-ecological-resilience, and ecosystem services. Journal of Environmental Management, 183(2), 389-398. https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/science/article/pii/S0301479716305023
Fominoff, L. (2017, April 19). Invasive crayfish a tasty treat in and around Lethbridge. Lethbridge News Now. https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2017/04/19/invasive-crayfish-a-tasty-treat-in-and-around-lethbridge/
Kolafa, P. (2018, August 8). Invasive water species an unwelcome guest in Red Deer River. The Drumheller Mail. https://www.drumhellermail.com/news/31064-invasive-water-species-an-unwelcome-guest-in-red-deer-river
Holling, C. S. (1986). The resilience of terrestrial ecosystems: local surprise and global change. In W. C. Clark & Mann, R. E. (Eds.), Sustainable development of the biosphere. Cambridge University Press, 292-317. https://moodle.royalroads.ca/moodle/pluginfile.php/865463/mod_page/content/18/The%20resilience%20of%20terrestrial%20ecosystems%20%28Sustainable%20development%20of%20the%20biosphere%20pp.292-317%29.pdf
Macintosh, M. (2019, June 28). This is why the province says there's been a recent crayfish invasion in Calgary. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/crayfish-invasion-calgary-waters-1.5195008
MacPherson, L., Sullivan, M., Reilly, J., & Paul, A. (2020). Alberta's fisheries sustainability assessment: A guide to assessing population status, and quantifying cumulative effects using the Joe Modelling Technique. Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS). https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/301/weekly_acquisitions_list-ef/2020/20-50/publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2020/mpo-dfo/fs70-5/Fs70-5-2019-058-eng.pdf
McCartney, P. (2013, Jun 12). Invaders from the north. The Airdrie Echo. https://www.airdrieecho.com/2013/06/12/invaders-from-the-north-2
Nerman, D. (2016, July 27). Why you may not want to eat Calgary's invasive crayfish. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/eating-crayfish-calgary-1.3697115
Offin, S. (2016, June 21). ‘They taste like lobster’: Calgarians find invasive Crayfish flourishing in Nose Creek. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/2778356/they-taste-like-lobster-calgarians-find-invasive-crayfish-flourishing-in-nose-creek/
Prowley. (2018, July 27). In a pinch- crayfish in Alberta. Trout Unlimited Canada. https://tucanada.org/in-a-pinch-crayfish-in-alberta/
Phillips, I. D., Vinebrooke, R. D., & Turner, M. A. (2009). Ecosystem consequences of potential range expansions of Orconectes virilis and Orconectes rusticus crayfish in Canada—A review. Environmental Reviews, 17(NA), 235–248. https://doi.org/10.1139/A09-011
Snowdon, W. (2017, August 1). ‘Just like lobster': North Saskatchewan River crawling with crayfish. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/crayfish-edmonton-north-saskatchewan-river-1.4230555
Tucker, G. (2018, July 19). Invasive crayfish may pose new threat to Calgary-area trout. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/4342173/invasive-crayfish-threat-trout-calgary/
White, R. (2013, June 6). Crayfish make unwelcome appearance in Nose Creek. CTV News. https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/crayfish-make-unwelcome-appearance-in-nose-creek-1.1314139
Williams, B. W., Proctor, H. C., & Clayton, T. (2011). Range extension of the Northern Crayfish, Orconectes virilis (Decapoda, Cambaridae), in the western prairie provinces of Canada. Crustaceana, 84(4), 451–460. https://doi.org/10.1163/001121611X563995
Observations From Members 
