Crayfish Study Overview

The Pacific Northwest is inhabited by only five native species. Washington State has only one native crayfish, but now there are a number of non-native species being found. Scientists do not know a lot about crayfish, native or non-native, in the Pacific Northwest and so you and your students can contribute critical data by learning about the crayfish at your site. Learn more about the Purpose of the Crayfish Study.

A large number of school groups participating in The River Mile expressed interest in helping with crayfish research, so the network began creating materials and project opportunities. Any K-12 grade school group located in the Columbia River Watershed can participate and submit data about crayfish in their own local area. Any information collected and submitted will aid in the understanding of the distribution and populations of crayfish species in the Columbia River Watershed.

Crayfish Study Data

Check out the maps below to explore some recent data.

Current Data map or our dashboard The River Mile Crayfish Dashboard

Previous Year’s Data

To see data submitted prior to 2021 visit this map or visit the Crayfish Study Data page.

Crayfish Data image from The River Mile’s Crayfish Poster. Source: Dr. Eric Larson, University of Illinois.