Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait Crayfish are thick

Took my nephew out to the ponds, just to walk around and spotlight things. It was crayfish haven!! We dip netted 60ish and missed 20 or more. All had a green yellow coloration. I'm just assuming it's a water temp/seasonal color. Very happy to see so many in the shallows.

Wow, awesome crayfish! Did you have any ice on the pond this winter? Does anyone know if they actively feed in winter?

What is your vegetation like?

I had a milfoil outbreak last summer, treated with appropriate dose of Sonar and it died back, the native vegetation remained.

This spring after ice out I expected to see the native vegetation pop back up but so far it is pretty bare on the bottom. Either my sonar dose worked better than I thought, or something was eating my vegetation under the ice all winter.

Does anyone know if crayfish continue to actively take out vegetation all winter long under ice or if they go dormant?

Here in Indiana, they aren't supposed to burrow in for the winter.

Per Prof Brown at Purdue: Native midwestern crayfish lay eggs in early spring and the juveniles grow through the summer and fall. Most of our species do not burrow in winter and will actually gain weight during this period, although activity is greatly reduced.

One question I have about crayfish is, do you need to be concerned with the burrowing penetrating a clay liner in an excavated pond?

60% ice coverage this winter. Very limited rooted plants. FA is contained within 1 foot from shore and even at that it's just in patches. I am seeing some burrows all within 1 foot of waters edge. Many more burrows in the water 1-2ft out.

That is an interesting color. Most of ours are brownish.

Could this be what they are?

Emerald crayfish

Interesting description in the link above:

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Marmorkrebs are without a doubt one of the most interesting animals in the world. They actually reproduce without a mate, and all of the offspring are genetically identical (a true clone) of the parent crayfish. They can live in almost any freshwater aquarium and are among the toughest freshwater tank inhabitants available to the hobby.

They ship as 1-2" juveniles and grow to 4-5" at adult size, attained at around 6 months of age. They usually grow to 3" within a month after you receive them.

These do not have large claws like many freshwater crayfish, so are relatively safe with fish/shrimp/pants. I keep them with Fire Red Cherry Shrimp and have kept them with guppies before successfully. They will reproduce at around 4 months of age, sometimes 5 months. A single Marmorkreb produces more than 100 offspring at a time!

Our Marmorkrebs range in color from brownish green to emerald green, and occasionally a lovely turquoise (our personal favorite!) They usually start out with brown coloration as juveniles, and then attain a brighter color as they mature into adults.

Marmorkrebs MUST NEVER BE RELEASED INTO THE WILD! They are not on the invasive species list, but it is possible that releasing a single crayfish could result in a wild population, which can damage local ecosystems. Since this crayfish reproduces by itself, you will need to be prepared to care for the offspring or use them as live food for other aquatic animals. If allowed to stay in the tank with the mother, nature will take its course and the population of crayfish will shrink until your aquarium can support them, but they may overtake the other tank inhabitants in the process. Please do your part to protect our environment by never releasing aquatic animals into the wild.
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Or maybe this is a closer match:

Green Crayfish

Canyoncreek I don't think that first Emerald is it at all. That green crayfish could be it, but these came from a nearby creek that found thier way here. Thinking they are just in a season color variation. Maybe do some collections throught the year and see what color changes there are.