Reducing Impacts of Exotic Crayfish Introductions: New Policies Needed

In February 1999, President Clinton mandated the development of an Invasive Species Management Plan for the United States, emphasizing in Executive Order 13112 the severity of the economic, human health, and ecological threats posed by nonindigenous species (NIS). The plan must review the anthropogenic vectors that move species, and recommend measures to minimize future introductions. Elsewhere in this issue, we have reviewed the special threats to freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem function posed by nonindigenous crayfishes (from within North America and from other continents), and identified the vectors potentially most important in introducing crayfishes: aquaculture; aquarium and pond trade; biological supply trade; and the live bait trade. In this essay, we outline recommendations for reducing future crayfish introductions in the United States by these vectors, and call for the development of methods to eradicate or control nonindigenous crayfishes. We hope that these recommendations will be considered during the development of the Invasive Species Management Plan.