Wild rice is an important aquatic vegetation and can be sensitive to any disturbances during its growth period, especially in the spring. New evidence suggests that aquatic invasive species, specifically rusty crayfish, can be harmful to wild rice during the growing season.
Josh Dumke, senior research scientist and fisheries ecologist at the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and his research team began research May 22 to look at the effects of rusty crayfish on wild rice and figure out a solution to allow more growth of wild rice.