Red Swamp Crayfish

At a glance

Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is an IUCN Least Concern crustacean regulated in 20 of 65 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.

The strictest bag limit is 20 (Montana); the most generous is 150 (Missouri).

Confirmed by 10,630 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with California, Texas, and Louisiana the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• One of the most commercially important crayfish species in the world.
• Introduced globally, now established across Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.
• Can grow up to 5 inches (12 cm) in length.
• Digs burrows in soft mud, which can damage rice paddies and earthen levees.
• Louisiana produces the majority of commercially harvested crayfish in the United States.

Where Red Swamp Crayfish are seen

• California4,827 iNat obs
• Texas3,404 iNat obs
• Louisiana229 iNat obs
• Nevada224 iNat obs
• North Carolina191 iNat obs
• Maryland186 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Red Swamp Crayfish

• AlbertaCanada — official source
• British ColumbiaCanada — official source
• CaliforniaUnited States — official source
• ColoradoUnited States — official source
• Federal Waters (DFO)Canada — official source
• IllinoisUnited States — official source

Background

Procambarus clarkii is a species of cambarid freshwater crayfish, native to northern Mexico, and southern and southeastern United States, but also introduced elsewhere (both in North America and other continents), where it is often an invasive pest. It is known variously as the red swamp crawfish, red swamp crayfish, Louisiana crawfish, Louisiana crayfish or mudbug.

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Red Swamp Crayfish article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.

Other crabs/lobsters/shrimp on CatchRules

• European Green CrabCarcinus maenas
• Striped Shore CrabPachygrapsus crassipes
• Atlantic Horseshoe CrabLimulus polyphemus
• Atlantic Ghost CrabOcypode quadrata