Marmorkrebs: Marmorkrebs are illegal in Idaho

24 April 2020

Marmorkrebs are illegal in Idaho

While doing some updates related to the announcement that Marmorkrebs are apparently all over the place in Alberta, I stumbled upon legislation that I was unaware of.

In Idaho, Marmorkrebs is designated “Aquatic Invertebrate Invasive Species” (AIIS). So says the IDAPA 02.06.09 “Rules Governing Invasive Species and Noxious Weeds.” In fact, they are so worried about it that it is listed twice in the current regulations: once as “Marbled Crayfish (Procambarus marmorkrebs)” (sic) and once as “Marmorkrebs Procambarus sp.” (Section 140).

As an invasive species, Idaho says, “No person may possess, cultivate, import, ship, or transport any invasive species.” Unless, that is, you want to eat them. If you want to eat crayfish, you need a permit.

Trying to find when Marmorkrebs was added to this list was difficult, but it seems to have been way back in 2010, based on this administrative bulletin (PDF).

I continue to be extraordinarily frustrated by how hard it is to finding regulations about crayfish on a state to state and province to province level. This law was passed at which this website and blog was already a few years old. Yet it took me a decade to discover this law, even when I keep a specific look out for anything Marmorkrebs related, with Google alerts and more.

I’m reminded of Douglas Adams’s description of what bureaucrats consider “public notice.”

“But the plans were on display…”

“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”

“That’s the display department.”

“With a flashlight.”

“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”

“So had the stairs.”

“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.’”