Rustilicious: A Primer on Catching & Eating Great Lakes Lobster

by Emily Bingham

Resembling delicious, prolific, miniature lobsters, non-native rusty crayfish are free for the taking in Michigan’s waterways. This week, Found Michigan gets the scoop from writer and outdoorsman Bob Butz, who’s an expert on fishing and feasting on this little-known local delicacy. 

For more about catching rusties in Michigan, visit the rusty crayfish info page on the Michigan DNR website; for a species profile and tasty traditional crawfish boil recipes starring this invasive little crustacian, check out the highly informative and inventive blog, invasivore.org.

Audio: 7:09
Music: “Crawfish” by Elvis Presley, featuring vocalist Kitty White; “Crawdad Song” by Woody Guthrie.
Special thanks to Hughthir White for helping with the audio tape-sync!

[Take “eat local” to the next level with an orconectes rusticus feast. Photo by Grace Loppnow, courtesy invasivore.org.]