Pacifastacus fortis

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Pacifastacus fortis
Shasta crayfish.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Family: Astacidae
Genus: Pacifastacus
Species:
P. fortis
Binomial name
Pacifastacus fortis
(Faxon, 1914)

Pacifastacus fortis (known as the Shasta crayfish or placid crayfish) is an endangered crayfish species endemic to Shasta County, California, where it is found only in isolated spots on the Pit River and Fall River Mills. The exact subpopulations for the Shasta crayfish were discovered in 2004 through a genetic study that determined three different genetic clusters: Crystal Lake, the Big Lake group (which includes Big Lake Springs, JeShe, Lava, and Spring Creeks), and Thousand Springs. [4]

Contents

Description and ecology

P. fortis is thick and stocky, with relatively heavy chelae. It is usually dark brown dorsally with bright orange areas on its underside. These colors aid in camouflage in its habitat. It grows about 2-4 inches long. It lives in cold, clear, rocky areas of the mountain rivers, and feeds on microbes, algae, and small animals like snails. [4] The animal requires a constant, steady, and untainted flow of fresh water to survive. P. fortis have 5 pairs of legs. [4]

With regards to life span, P. fortis tends to endure a life span of between 10 and 15 years on average. [4] Reproduction occurs once per year, typically in October, when older females produce up to 40 eggs per year and younger females produce fewer eggs. By May, most eggs will have hatched and the babies stay attached to their mother for a short duration before separating and becoming a free-willed organism P. fortis is nocturnal and remain idle behind cover for the majority of the day. They begin to leave their cover only when it is night and light is scarce. Furthermore, when possible, it prefers to live on its own without other members from its species. [4]

Predators in California include but are not limited to various species of fish, such as the brown bullhead ( Ameiurus nebulosus ), Eurasian carp ( Cyprinus carpio ), and brown trout ( Salmo trutta ). Competitors include the signal crayfish ( Pacifastacus leniusculus ) and the smallmouth bass ( Micropterus dolomieu ). [5]

Causes of endangerment

Pacifastacus fortis is listed as a critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List, [1] and an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. [1] [2] Numerous factors play a role in the endangerment of P. fortis. Within California, some minor factors include but are not limited to illness and invasive predators. [6] However, human intervention affects the species at a much greater proportion. Urbanization, pollution, and other forms of intervention often affect the surroundings of P. fortis, ultimately resulting in significant habitat loss and consequently, a significant decrease in population.

It has always had a very small native range, and that range has been significantly fragmented by such human activities as damming, mining, and agriculture. The Pit River Fish Hatchery was closed to protect this species.

Two introduced crayfish species, Pacifastacus leniusculus and Orconectes virilis , as well as water impoundment and diversion have contributed to the continuing decline of P. fortis. Chemicals from agriculture have also washed into streams, and groundwater has been pumped to the point of lowering the water table, further decreasing the numbers of P. fortis. [7] Hydroelectric operations in the area have also contributed to habitat loss, destroying almost all of the preferred substrate of Pacifastacus fortis. [7]

Its decline mimics that of its closest relative, the Pacifastacus nigrescens crayfish, whose similar habitat loss and aggression from invasive species led to its eventual extinction. Attempts at controlling or extirpating invasive species are very expensive and rarely succeed; reintroducing Pacifastacus fortis to California cost $4.5 million. [8]

P. fortis is the only native crayfish remaining in California. [9]

Conservation efforts

The Shasta crayfish was designated as a rare species by California law in 1980 and an endangered species in 1988 by the Federal Government. [10] Throughout numerous 5-year species reviews from 1988 to 2013, this endangered classification has not changed. [9] This stems from the fact that large numbers of government conservation programs have been relatively ineffective in delisting the species. [9]

A significant challenge for Shasta crayfish conservation is that while researchers know what type of food Shasta crayfish consume, their exact nutritional requirements are unknown. [10] This presents a significant challenge for long-term captive breeding programs. Furthermore, no critical habitat has been identified for this species. [10] However, there is optimism that Rock Creek could serve as a future safe haven for the Shasta crayfish. [11]

Relocation of Shasta crayfish to a new safe haven in Rock Creek

A 20-year inter-agency initiative led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) found significant success in June 2019 as it relocated over 28 Shasta crayfish to a rehabilitated section of Rock Creek, Shasta County. [11] The goal of this conservation effort was to create an isolated population of Shasta crayfish that was inaccessible to the invasive signal crayfish.

As a result, this large-scale project necessitated considerable habitat modifications, such as riparian plantings and rock clusters. Likewise, a pipeline from CDFW's hatchery at Crystal Lake had to be rerouted, and an upstream diversion dam had to be removed. The Hatchery's location is optimal since it prevents signal crayfish from migrating upstream and invading Rock Creek. [11]

This restoration project was completed in collaboration with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, CDFW, and the consulting firm Spring Rivers Ecological Sciences LLC. [11] Today, the formerly dry portion of Rock Creek flows with around 0.6 miles of cool, clear water: a suitable habitat for the Shasta crayfish. [4] [11]

After completing the Rock Creek restoration, scuba divers gathered Shasta crayfish from the bottom of Crystal Lake for relocation. Crystal Lake was chosen because it contains a genetically diverse and viable population of Shasta crayfish that is most accessible to the CDFW. Following a 42-day quarantine, the divers relocated the crayfish to their new home in Rock Creek. [11]

In the long term, the progress of these crayfish will be monitored closely by the CDFW with the hope that the population can sustainably grow without intervention.

Related Research Articles

The National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS) was established by the U.S. Congress in 1871 through the creation of a U.S. Commissioner for Fish and Fisheries. This system of fish hatcheries is now administered by the Fisheries Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), an agency within the United States Department of the Interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Signal crayfish</span> Species of crustacean

The signal crayfish is a North American species of crayfish. It was introduced to Europe in the 1960s to supplement the North European Astacus astacus fisheries, which were being damaged by crayfish plague, but the imports turned out to be a carrier of that disease. The signal crayfish is now considered an invasive species across Europe, Japan, and California, ousting native species there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow trout</span> Fresh-water species of fish

The rainbow trout is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coastal rainbow trout(O. m. irideus) or Columbia River redband trout (O. m. gairdneri) that usually returns to freshwater to spawn after living two to three years in the ocean. Freshwater forms that have been introduced into the Great Lakes and migrate into tributaries to spawn are also called steelhead.

Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) or Columbia River redband trout. Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and North America. Like other sea-run (anadromous) trout and salmon, steelhead spawn in freshwater, smolts migrate to the ocean to forage for several years and adults return to their natal streams to spawn. Steelhead are iteroparous, although survival is approximately 10–20%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astacidae</span> Family of crayfishes

Astacidae is a family of freshwater crayfish native to Europe, western Asia and western North America. The family is made up of four extant (living) genera: The genera Astacus, Pontastacus, and Austropotamobius are all found throughout Europe and parts of western Asia, while Pacifastacus is native to western United States and British Columbia, but has also been introduced elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June sucker</span> Species of fish

The June sucker is an endangered species of fish endemic to Utah Lake and the Provo River in the U.S. state of Utah. It is named after the month in which it spawns. It is a gray or brownish fish with a paler belly, growing up to about 24 in (61 cm). It lives alongside the Utah sucker, which has a much wider range. Due to the populations of both fish becoming greatly reduced in the lake as a result of fishing, other species such as the common carp have been introduced into the lake. As a result, the June sucker has become "critically endangered" as the pure species is lost as a result of hybridization with the Utah sucker, and predatory fish feed on its larvae. Conservation measures have been put in place and fish are being raised in a fish hatchery for reintroduction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hine's emerald</span> Species of dragonfly

The Hine's emerald is an endangered dragonfly species found in the United States and Canada. Populations exist in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Ontario, and Wisconsin. Larvae are found in shallow, flowing water in fens and marshes, and often use crayfish burrows. Major threats to the species include habitat loss and alteration, and the species is legally protected in both the United States and Canada.

<i>Austropotamobius pallipes</i> Species of crayfish

Austropotamobius pallipes is an endangered European freshwater crayfish, and the only crayfish native to the British Isles. Its common names include white-clawed crayfish and Atlantic stream crayfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malibu Creek</span> River in the southern California

Malibu Creek is a year-round stream in western Los Angeles County, California. It drains the southern Conejo Valley and Simi Hills, flowing south through the Santa Monica Mountains, and enters Santa Monica Bay in Malibu. The Malibu Creek watershed drains 109 square miles (280 km2) and its tributary creeks reach as high as 3,000 feet (910 m) into Ventura County. The creek's mainstem begins south of Westlake Village at the confluence of Triunfo Creek and Lobo Canyon Creek, and flows 13.4 miles (21.6 km) to Malibu Lagoon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Department of Fish and Wildlife</span> Government agency in California

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is a state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protects the state's wildlife, wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, algae and native habitats (ecosystems). The department is responsible for regulatory enforcement and management of related recreational, commercial, scientific, and educational uses. The department also prevents illegal poaching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonytail chub</span> Species of fish

The bonytail chub or bonytail is a cyprinid freshwater fish native to the Colorado River basin of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in the southwestern United States; it has been extirpated from the part of the basin in Mexico. It was once abundant and widespread in the basin, its numbers and range have declined to the point where it has been listed as endangered since 1980 (ESA) and 1986 (IUCN), a fate shared by the other large Colorado basin endemic fish species like the Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, and razorback sucker. It is now the rarest of the endemic big-river fishes of the Colorado River. There are 20 species in the genus Gila, seven of which are found in Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owens pupfish</span> Species of fish

The Owens pupfish is a rare species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae, the pupfish. It is endemic to California in the United States, where it is limited to the Owens Valley. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. This pupfish is up to 5 centimetres long, the largest males sometimes longer. The male is blue-gray, turning bright blue during spawning. The female is greenish brown with a silvery or whitish belly.

<i>Cambarus zophonastes</i> Species of crayfish

Cambarus zophonastes, also known as the Hell Creek Cave crayfish, is named for its original location of discovery, Hell Creek Cave. It is also found in other similar habitats in Stone County and Marion County, Arkansas. These habitats include springs and caves such as Nesbitt Spring Cave in Stone County. C. zophanastes is critically endangered according to the IUCN. C. zophanastes is also protected by the ESA as an endangered species. Currently conservation efforts focus on monitoring populations, reducing disturbances, and monitoring water quality. More research has to be conducted to better understand and conserve the species.

<i>Faxonius shoupi</i> Species of crayfish

The Nashville crayfish, Faxonius shoupi, is a freshwater crustacean native to the Mill Creek Basin in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to August 2017, the species was called Orconectes shoupi. Faxonius shoupi is protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as an endangered species. However, the crayfish has recently been put up for delisting by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

<i>Pacifastacus nigrescens</i> Extinct species of crayfish

Pacifastacus nigrescens, the sooty crayfish, is an extinct species of crayfish in the family Astacidae. It was originally described in 1857 by William Stimpson from the area around San Francisco, where it was once common in the creeks surrounding San Francisco Bay. The signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus was introduced to California, probably in the 19th century, and since then, no sightings of P. nigrescens have been made; it is now believed to be extinct. Intensive searches of its former habitat have found that every site where it once occurred is now occupied by either the signal crayfish or Procambarus clarkii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butte Creek Ecological Reserve</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal Lake Fish Hatchery</span>

Crystal Lake Fish Hatchery is a fish hatchery run by the California Department of Fish and Game, located in Cassel, California.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Johnson, D.; Taylor, C.A.; Schuster, G.A.; Cordeiro, J.; Jones, T. (2010). "Pacifastacus fortis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T15866A5246459. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T15866A5246459.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Shasta crayfish (Pacifastacus fortis)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  3. ↑ 53 FR 38460
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Shasta Crayfish 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation (PDF) (Report). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. August 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-06-30.
  5. ↑ "Pacifastacus fortis (Shasta crayfish)". www.cabi.org. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  6. ↑ Richman, Nadia I.; Böhm, Monika; Adams, Susan B.; Alvarez, Fernando; Bergey, Elizabeth A.; Bunn, John J. S.; Burnham, Quinton; Cordeiro, Jay; Coughran, Jason; Crandall, Keith A.; Dawkins, Kathryn L.; DiStefano, Robert J.; Doran, Niall E.; Edsman, Lennart; Eversole, Arnold G. (2015-02-19). "Multiple drivers of decline in the global status of freshwater crayfish (Decapoda: Astacidea)". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 370 (1662): 20140060. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0060 . PMC   4290432 . PMID   25561679.
  7. 1 2 "Shasta Crayfish | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  8. ↑ "Pacifastacus - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  9. 1 2 3 "Pacifastacus fortis". Earth.com. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  10. 1 2 3 "RECOVERY PLAN for the SHASTA CRAYFISH (Pacifastacus fortis)" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. August 28, 1998.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Science Institute News | Endangered Shasta Crayfish Have New Refuge in Rock Creek". wildlife.ca.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
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