Effectiveness of synthetic molecules, and animal and vegetable extracts as baits for harvesting red swamp crayfish, procambarus clarkii

The present study was designed to evaluate the efficiency of different biogenic amines (putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine, spermine and spermidine) and their precursory amino acids (arginine, histidine, lysine and tyrosine), as well as animal extracts (from fish, crustaceans and mollusks) and vegetable extracts (Chara sp., coconut and alfalfa) as baits in traps for red swamp crayfish, P. clarkii. The methodology was conceived as a logical sequence to proceed from rapid screening of a large number of treatments and was divided into three phases: (1) chemo-detection bioassays, (2) chemattraction bioassays, and (3) field bioassays carried out under natural conditions. The attractants that showed the best performance as baits for P. clarkii, were: the fish soluble extract (included at 2.96%), the putrescine (included at 0.30%) and the red crab soluble extract (included at 2.69%). The benefits of using these attractants, when added to common pelleted feed, come from their low cost, availability and enhanced handling properties.