Based on the results of catches, Pacifastacus leniusculus, a signal crayfish, was discovered in the Svetogorsk Reservoir.
The American signal crayfish - Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana, 1852) is one of the native crayfish species in North America. The distribution of the signal crayfish as an invasive alien species is currently considered the widest in Europe, its range covers reservoirs in 29 countries.
Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana, 1852) was first discovered by employees of the St. Petersburg branch in 2021 in Lake. The dam of the Saimaa Canal system between Lake Saimaa (Finland) and the Vyborg Bay (Russia). The Saimaa Canal belongs to a large lake-river network connecting the waters of the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga.
According to research in 2024, 53 specimens of this invasive crayfish species were caught in the Svetogorsk Reservoir, weighing a total of 1,690 g.
The results obtained confirm the successful acclimatization of this invasive species, which allows us to predict the further widespread distribution of P. leniusculus not only in the reservoirs of the Leningrad Region, but also in the North-West of Russia.
Press Service of VNIRO
