Crayfish

Crayfish, also known as crawdads and by other names, live throughout North America. They're usually called "crayfish" in the North, "crawdads" in central and western parts of the southern United States, and "crawfish" in the South. This isn't always true, however, because there's a lot of overlap.

Crayfish look like small lobsters but live around fresh water. They do better in clean streams, but some varieties can tolerate pollution better than others. The Southeast has more varieties, but the crustaceans live throughout the United States, although they've been introduced to some areas.

People across the world eat crayfish, in much the same way they do lobster. Louisiana is one of the largest producers of these crawdads as a food source. In 2007, they harvested nearly 55,000 tons by aquaculture. Fishermen also use crayfish as bait, especially to catch bass, pike, channel catfish, walleye, and trout. In addition, they can become aquarium pets, or they build their own homes outside.

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