News from Sparkling Lake

November 4, 2013

Orconectes rusticus, also known as rusty crayfish.


In the early 2000s, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison began an eight-year battle against an invasive species found in northern Wisconsin’s Sparkling lake.

Orconectes rusticus, known as the rusty crayfish, was mowing down native plants, to better spot approaching predators, and outcompeting native crayfish. It consumed the eggs of native fish, and left other species without vegetative cover. Researchers were concerned about the ecology of the lake, and soon began removing the crayfish, setting up 300 mesh traps near the shore.

When the removal experiment began, researchers were catching as many as a thousand rusty crayfish a day. But what to do with all those crawdads? Eat them, of course. Three times a week, in crawfish boils or étouffée. There was always a five-gallon bucket of crayfish in the fridge.

Today, the population of the rusty crayfish has declined drastically, and fish, insect, and plant communities have made a comeback since in Sparkling Lake. Read more about the removal of the rusty crayfish here.

Gretchen Hansen, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, played a central part in the field effort. Hansen says that while they did not eradicate the rusty crawfish, they were successful in reducing their densities to about 1% of what they were. Eating invaders didn’t eradicate the crayfish, she notes, but it was “a happy side effect.” Hansen shared a couple of the researchers’ favorite recipes with us. THe étouffée was a family recipe from one of the researchers, the crawfish boil from the Food Network.

Crawfish Étouffée

3 cups long grain white rice
6 cups water
3/4 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound Sparkling Lake crawfish* tails, cooked
2 tablespoons canned tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup water or broth, or as needed
6 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, or to taste

Combine the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender and water has been absorbed.

While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and saute until transparent. Stir in the garlic, and cook for a minute. Stir in the flour until well blended. Gradually stir in the tomato sauce and water/broth, then add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the crawfish tails and green onions and season with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Simmer until the crawfish is warmed but not tough. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Low Country Boil
Adapted from the Food Network

Crab boil seasoning (such as Zatarain’s available in specialty grocers or online), 2 teaspoons per quart of water or to taste
12 red new potatoes
6 (4-inch) smoked sausage links
6 ears corn
3 pounds Sparkling Lake crayfish*

Fill a large pot with enough water to cover all of the ingredients.

Add the crab boil seasoning and bring to a boil. Adjust the crab boil to suit your taste. When the water boils, add the potatoes and sausage. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add corn and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Add crayfish and cook until bright red. Drain and serve with warm bread and lots of melted butter.

 

For more updates and pictures on the rusty removal in Sparkling Lake, visit the UW-Madison Center for Limnology page.

*Other streams and lakes can be used; see, for example, the USGS rusty crayfish fact sheet.

Leave a Comment

Land

Wild_boar

Wild Pig

Did the domestic ancestors of today’s feral pigs streak off De Soto’s ship into the Florida scrub of their own accord in 1539? Or did they have to be urged to go find something to eat? All you need to…


EAT ME!
6a00d83451b96069e2017d3d0b7851970c-400wi

Garden Snail

Deliberately or accidentally, by the movement of plants and by hobbyists who collect snails, humans have spread the garden snail to temperate and subtropical zones around the world.


EAT ME!
GarlicMustard1

Garlic Mustard

  Alliaria petiolata Native range: Europe, Asia, Northwest Africa Invasive range: Much of the Lower 48, Alaska, and Canada. (See map.) Habitat: Moist, shaded soil of floodplains, forests, roadsides, edges of woods, and forest openings. Often dominant in disturbed areas. Description: Biennial herb. First-year plant has a rosette of green leaves close to the ground. […]


EAT ME!
nopales con huevo

Prickly Pear

Fall is here, and the “cactus fig” is in season. Time to plate-up another widespread invader.


EAT ME!
Screen Shot 2012-11-18 at 8.02.21 AM

Sow Thistle

It’s spring and time to weed. Sow thistle is a delicious invader found throughout the continent.


EAT ME!

Sea

Hemigrapsus_sanguineus_big

Asian Shore Crab

The first sighting of the Asian shore crab in the United States was at Townsend Inlet, Cape May County, New Jersey, in 1988. Though the source is unknown . . .


EAT ME!
Periwinkles

Periwinkle

The common periwinkle, which first appeared in New England in the 1860s, is now found along the coast wherever there’s hard substrate–rocks, riprap, broken concrete, or docks–from Labrador to . . .


EAT ME!
Pterois volitans

Lionfish

Some say it started in 1992 in Miami when Hurricane Andrew smashed an aquarium tank. Don’t blame the weather, others say; in the mid-nineties, disappointed yet softhearted hobbyists…


EAT ME!
chuka wakame

Wakame

  Undaria pinnatifida Native range: Japan Sea Invasive range: Southern California, San Francisco Bay, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Argentina Habitat: Opportunistic seaweed, can be found on hard substrates including rocky reefs, pylons, buoys, boat hulls, and abalone and bivalve shells. Description: Golden brown seaweed, growing up to nine feet. Forms thick canopy. Reproductive sporophyll in […]


EAT ME!
Kleiner_Taschenkrebs_(Carcinus_maenas)

Green Crab

Since the green crab was first recorded off southern Massachusetts in 1817, it has been hard to ignore. A few minutes of rock-flipping in Maine can turn up dozens of them, brandishing their claws as they retreat…


EAT ME!

Fresh

Armored Catfish Meatballs (1)

Armored Catfish

The armored catfish is abundant and destructive in Florida, Texas, and Mexico. Cast your nets for these flavorful natives of the Amazon. Scientific name: Two types have become established in North America: armadillo del rio, Hypostomus plecostomus, and sailfin catfishes in genus Pterygoplichthys Native range: Amazon River Basin Invasive range: Texas, Florida, and Hawaii; also […]


EAT ME!
Picture 1

Common Carp

For a bottom-feeder, what is the good life? The common carp isn’t very demanding: any body of water that’s sluggish and murky will do. If the water is clean, and you’ve got corn for bait, try one of these recipes.


EAT ME!
IMG_W007-2

Watercress

  Nasturtium officianale Native Range: Northern Africa, Europe, temperate Asia, and India Invasive Range: In USA: all lower 48 states, except North Dakota. Found in Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Also southern Canada, Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Australasia, and parts of tropical Asia. Habitat: Common along stream margins, ditches, and other areas with […]


EAT ME!
rusty_crayfish-large

Crayfish

  There are numerous invasive crayfish. We include details for the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) and the rusty crayfish (Orenectes rusticus). The same recipes can be used for both species–and many other invasive crayfish. Red Swamp Crayfish Native range: Known as Louisiana crayfish, crawdad, and mudbug, Procambarus clarkii is native to the south central […]


EAT ME!
nutria-mugshot

Nutria

Nutria, also known as coypu and river rat, is native to temperate and subtropical South America. It has been introduced to Europe, Asia, and Africa, mainly for fur farming. These voracious. . .


EAT ME!

Field Notes

Digital StillCamera

Can We Eliminate Invasive Species by Eating Them?

On restaurant menus across New England, green crabs are showing up in everything from bouillabaisse and bisques to croquettes and crudo. Read about it in Salon.


EAT ME!
151118153748-invasive-lionfish

Radio Health Journal

Can adding invasives to your diet help the environment and your health? Listen to Radio Health Journal here.


EAT ME!
Screen Shot 2022-04-08 at 7.39.53 AM

Qui veut manger des espèces invasives ?

Joe Roman chats with Camille Crosnier about eating invasives on France Inter. Listen here. In French.


EAT ME!
Screen Shot 2022-03-12 at 7.18.19 AM

Berlin’s Invasive Species Cuisine

A Berlin food truck is opening people’s minds and mouths by feeding them a menu of invasive species with the slogan, “If you can’t beat them, eat them!” Read more about it in the Good News Network.


EAT ME!
Screen Shot 2022-02-14 at 7.14.15 PM

Rack of Squirrel, Anyone?

Patrick Greenfield discusses the rise of invasivorism in the Guardian. Read it here.


EAT ME!

“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

—Mark Twain

Previous post:

Next post: