MEDFORD, Ore. — Underwater barriers in Crater Lake are being offered as one idea to slow the invasion of millions of non-native crayfish that are threatening a salamander known as the Mazama newt.
“It’s still early in the invasion,” said Dr. Sudeep Chandra, a biology professor at the University of Nevada in Reno. “We’re talking about millions instead of hundreds of millions.”
Crayfish were introduced to the lake by humans in 1915 to provide food for non-native fish. An explosion in the number of non-native species threatens not only the newt, but ultimately the awe-inspiring clarity of Crater Lake itself.
The metal barriers, which would be about 18 inches tall, would be installed along the lake bed at strategic spots, running perpendicular to the 21-mile-long shoreline, sort of like spokes in a wheel.
About two-thirds of the shoreline around the lake is now crowded with crayfish, so the barriers would be positioned to separate crayfish from the remaining newt habitats.
Chandra was chairman of a scientific panel that is working with Crater Lake National Park officials to find ways to slow the crayfish invasion. He said Lake Tahoe in California has an even worse infestation of crayfish. One of the strategies was to work with local companies to harvest the crayfish for sale as food, Chandra said.
By next summer, Chandra said the urgency of the problem at Crater Lake requires action be taken quickly. In the winter, the crayfish descend into deep waters but return to near the shoreline in the summer, Chandra said.
His panel suggested finding a way to sequester newt breeding areas just outside the lake. Installing the metal barriers, which likely would be made of aluminim, is another option but would require extensive environmental analysis.
Another conservation suggestion is to do a DNA analysis of the newts to preserve the information in case they don’t survive.
“That shows how dire this is,” Chandra said.
Unfortunately, getting rid of the crayfish completely is almost impossible with current techniques, Chandra said. Traps have lured in only limited numbers of crayfish.
The crayfish breathe through gills, and scuttle along the bottom of the lake.
Newts, which are about 8 inches long, were the top predators in the lake for thousands of years, gorging themselves on insects and snails. Now crayfish compete for the same food sources, and also intimidate and sometimes devour the newts.
“You can hardly turn a rock over without finding a juvenile or adult crayfish,” said Mark Buktenica, the park’s aquatic biologist.
Visitors wouldn’t see the barrier above the water line, Buktenica said. Scuba divers likely would install them but are limited to a depth of 30 meters, or about 100 feet. Crayfish have been found at 250 meters, or about 800 feet, however.
Wizard Island is the location where crayfish were first introduced, and the barriers would be placed on either side of it.
Crater Lake’s reputation for its crystal clear waters is also threatened, and it started a century ago by those working hard to keep the lake as a tourist destination.
“It’s ironic,” Buktenica said. “People who dedicated themselves to the preservation of Crater Lake were under the impression at the time that the introduction of these fish would make it a more desirable place for people to come.”
