Mike J.

Although some subspecies are partial to muddy waters, all crayfish are extremely sensitive to chemicals and nitrates. Wave action only effects them when they are near to shore, which is generally only at night, and the water is generally pretty calm then. But their eggs will simply not hatch in waters that are at all polluted. The biggest problem for crayfish, and for so many other things about Lake Winni's waters, is the increasing use of lawn fertilizers and lawn treatments within the watershed. These pollutants are destroying the lake and killing everything in it. The Shoreland Protection Act, which only regulates lawn care within 50 feet of the shore and is barely enforced anyway, does not address the big problem. The insecticides and weed killers applied to lawns in Grouse Point or Gunstock Acres, or even around the Castle, do not break down for years and quickly make their way into the lake. Since Winni's abundant crayfish population was the reason that smallmouth bass thrived here after being introduced, it follows that the decline of crayfish is a big part of the reason that these bass are now so much smaller and scarcer. In a balanced ecosystem, the fish weights will be more varied from lunkers to juveniles. Winni now has an abundance of midsized bass that cannot get any larger due to the lack of that protien source (and the pressure of fishing tournaments). If you want to do something to save Winni...fight the real enemy...lawns. Plant twenty trees in the watershed and save a fish.
Mike