Effects of Lake Productivity and Campsie Usage on Crayfish Abundance within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Abstract

Invasive rusty crayfish (Orconectus rusticus) have wide-ranging, negative effects on lake ecosystems (Strayer 2010) and threaten the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) of northern Minnesota. Building on a 2012 survey documenting the spread of rusty crayfish along a popular, 40-mile canoe route, the purpose of this study had three objectives: 1. to map the extent of O. rusticus spread along the route's 20 lakes; 2. to determine if a relationship exists between crayfish abundance and lake productivity; and 3. to establish whether human presence at campsites affected shoreline crayfish distributions, in particular, rusty crayfish.