Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave R
In addition to fish, birds and otters also eat them. Guessing the increasing number of otters, loons, and blue herons has not done the crayfish population any good. I think the frog population has suffered as much as the crayfish population. When I was a kid, frogs were easy to find; hardly see them these days.
|
IMHO, it's the man-made dock circulators that have extended the ice-out season for crayfish-dining.
Since about 1993, we were frequenting Lake Winnipesaukee before ice-outs, and were surprised to see a "new" species of diving duck swimming in spaces between the ice floes. These
Hooded Mergansers would predictably paddle into shallow water and come up with two-inch crayfish with every brief dive. It was a veritable crayfish buffet!
These small ducks stayed for less than a week, and moved-on as the ice broke up.
(Their flying speed is 50-MPH, and are on a population surge).
Borrowing from another theory,
Quote:
Decades ago, mink were probably restricted to natural open water areas after "Ice-In". Today, with circulators everywhere, mink have flourished on the lake's mussels.
Since crayfish are also on the mink's diet, I think the reason some lakefront property owners "have no crayfish" is that they have circulators/bubblers operating nearby.
|
Internet factoids:
• Crayfish evolved 100+ million years ago, during the same time period as our oldest
living bird species,
Loons.
• Crayfish have been filmed actively feeding under ice cover.
• 'Lots of crayfish species, including adults from Down Under, that weigh 11 pounds!
https://web.archive.org/web/20050513...srac/244fs.pdf
.