Procambarus crayfish control: Sterilization of males

Overall effectiveness category Likely to be beneficial
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

50%
Certainty

40%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Sterilisation of males which are allowed to remain in wild populations can help to reduce the rate of population increase. For example, a review study from the UK (Stebbing et al. 2012) reported that removal of pleopods used by males to deposit spermatophores onto the females led to a population decrease over a three year period.

Stebbing P.D., Longshaw M., Taylor N., Norman R., Lintott R., Pearce F. & Scott A. (2012) Review of methods for the control of invasive crayfish in Great Britain. CEFAS. Contract C5471 final report. pp 105.

Key messages

One replicated laboratory study in Italy found that exposing male red swamp crayfish to X-rays reduced the number of offspring they produced by 43%.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated laboratory study conducted between 2005 and 2006 in Italy (Aquiloni et al. 2009) found that male red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii, exposed to X-rays had a reduced reproductive ability. The number of offspring they successfully produced was reduced by 43% compared to a control group (no x-ray exposure). X-ray exposure did not affect the males’ survival and mating abilities. Irradiated males had smaller testes and altered sperm production that lasted for at least a year. A total of 122 males were tested, half in a control group with no irradiation. Male crayfish were placed individually inside a plastic tube and exposed to a 6 MeV electron beam for five minutes. Testes and sperm production were measured, as were the number of viable offspring produced post-mating.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Aquiloni L, Becciolini A, Berti R, Porciani S, Trunfio C & Gherardi F (2009) Managing invasive crayfish: use of X-ray sterilisation of males. Freshwater Biology, 54, 1510-1519.

Please cite as:

Aldridge, D., Ockendon, N., Rocha, R., Smith, R.K. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Some Aspects of Control of Freshwater Invasive Species. Pages 555-87 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Control of Freshwater Invasive Species

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Procambarus crayfish control: Trapping and removal Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	1	Synopsis Link
Procambarus crayfish control: Encouraging predators Action Link	Unlikely to be beneficial	3	Synopsis Link
Procambarus crayfish control: Remove the crayfish by electrofishing Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link