(T)wo additional species are likely to expand into Canada in the near future. The marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) is a parthenogenetic species which originated from the German aquarium pet trade and has established in the wild in several European countries as well as Madagascar (Vogt, 2018). It is for sale in Canada from some pet dealers as well as private aquarists over the internet. Single and multiple specimens are available for sale for prices ranging between 1 and 15 CAD (Hamr, unpublished data). Since it survives in the wild in central Europe, it is very likely to escape and establish wild populations in the warmer parts of Canada such as Southern Ontario and coastal British Columbia. So far, it has not been documented in the wild in Canada to date but a release appears to be imminent (Hamr, unpublished data).
Imminent? Maybe. I agree that it will probably happen. But having tracked Marmorkrebs introductions for some years now, I have been surprised that there were not confirmed introductions and established populations in North America years ago now.
For some data on the trade in crayfish in Canada, see this paper.
References
Hamr P. 2020. The classification, status and distribution of Canadian crayfishes: an update. Crayfish News 42(1): 1, 3-5.
External links
Crayfish News archive
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