Catch Crayfish – NoseCreek

Also known as Crayfish, Crawfish, or Crawdads, they exist in several creeks and streams in Calgary and elsewhere in North America and come with restrictions, however for most of Alberta they’re freely available for anyone that wants to go out and catch them. There is no license required, and there is no limit to the amount you can harvest. In fact, they’re an invasive species within Calgary, and it’s unlawful to posses live Crayfish. If you plan on heading out to catch up some dinner, you’ll need to kill them right away.
How To Catch Crayfish in Calgary
The easiest way to do it is with a couple of people, a basic fishing net, and a bucket.

• Have one person stand in the water with the net, and another person slowly move up/lift some rocks checking for them.
• Move slowly as not to spook them, or to cause dirt and silt to cloud up the water.
• Once you see one, have the person with the net position it behind them (Crayfish swim backwards) and startle them. Or, simply bend over and pick it up with your fingers.
• Toss them into a bucket (to kill later!)

How To Kill Crayfish Humanely
The best way to kill a live Crayfish is with a sharp knife. Boiling them won’t be an option as you’re not allowed to posses live Crayfish in Alberta, and unless you’re super prepared and bring a camping stove or something, you aren’t going to have boiling water while out knee deep in a creek.

• Position the Crayfish on a solid surface.
• Drive the knife down through their body, just behind where their head meets the rest of their carapace.

The knife will sever their spinal cord, and kill them very quickly, with hopefully no pain. This video does a great job of demonstrating how to do it. Plus, how to remove their waste tract. To remove their waste tract, you pinch and slowly twist off the middle tail – and pull slowly.