Lake Tahoe crawfish plans move forward, TRPA hearing July 5

Scientists now estimate close to 300-million crayfish in Lake Tahoe and they say that is adding up to clarity problems for the lake.
"The crayfish are like cattle on the landscape, moving across the lake bottom," says Dr. Sudeep Chandra who is a lake specialist and a professor of limnology at UNR. "They eat dead algae and fertilize more algae blooms and we think that is impacting the clarity of the lake."
He is also a partner with Fred Jackson who has spent nearly 16 months trying to change laws and regulations and begin a commercial fishing venture to harvest those crayfish and turn them into a family business. The hold up has been permits. But Jackson says he now has the Department of Wildlife in Nevada onboard. He has also heard from the State Lands Risk Management Department that they are ready to approve it. And the TRPA has a public hearing set on it for July 5.

Go here for the full story and watch the full segment during the 5 p.m. Monday, June 25 broadcast of KTVN Channel 2 News.
Chandra estimates that there could be as much as 8 million pounds of crawdads scattered around the lake, which were introduced in the late 1800s. He is helping the Nevada Department of Wildlife by identifying the best places and practices for harvest. He’s been working closely with entrepreneurs who brought the harvest idea forth to public agencies and supports their efforts.