Crater Lake Crayfish Put Oregon Newts On Endangered List
KLAMATH COUNTY, Ore. — Driven by climate changes, the crayfish population introduced into Crater Lake has ballooned over the last 15 years while the population of their tasty food source- the Mazama newts, has been decimated.
The decline resulted in a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity to protect the native Crater Lake newt by classifying them as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. The petition has now been recognized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Crater Lake Newts Under Threat
Enthusiasts began stocking fish in the lake in the late 1800s in hopes of elevating public interest, attracting visitors, and gaining federal protection- a move that resulted in the lake being declared a national park by the federal government in 1902.
At the time, the Crater Lake Newt as it came to be known was at the top of the food chain in the lake’s ecosystem and lacked the proper defense mechanisms against predators and there was little competition over food.
As a food source for the fish, park managers introduced the non-native crayfish in 1915. The ecosystem worked until temperature started rising as a result of climate changes. The nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity indicates that crayfish are now become an existential threat to the endemic newt.
The National Park Service confirmed that the non-native crayfish have thrived in the warmer weather. In 2008, they occupied about 50% of the shoreline but by 2020, this had increased to 80%.
The Center for Biological Diversity indicated the figure is now around 95%. And wherever the crayfish live, there are no newts. They estimate the crayfish could occupy 100% of the shoreline within the next two years.
Additionally, the crayfish prey on algae-eating plankton in the lake and as they multiply, the crystal clear clarity of the lake’s water is affected.
Related: What to do at Crater Lake National Park.
Crater Lake Newt Endangered Species Classification
The Fish and Wildlife Service responded to the petition to give the newts endangered status indicating the newt could qualify for these protections.
This week, the federal government announced it’s considering listing the Oregon newt- that lives only at Crater Lake National Park, as threatened or endangered because of the explosion of the crayfish population. . They are on the brink of exterminating the newt.
Chelsea Stewart-Fusek, an attorney for the nonprofit, said the nonprofit needs funding right now to ensure the lake isn’t changed forever.
The funding is intended to remove signal crayfish from Crater Lake so the endemic newts aren’t wiped out. Although the newt has a potent neurotoxin to deter predators, scientists say it’s relatively defenseless.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is embarking on a yearlong scientific review to determine the final standing on protections for the subspecies of the rough-skinned newt that lives across the Pacific Northwest that has been found only in the waters and along the shoreline of Crater lake.
Stewart-Fusek said, “Without endangered species protections this cute little newt will soon blink out of existence.”