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Calling something exotic makes it sound attractive.
But exotic plants or animals, also known as non-natives
often harm their new environment,
changing the habitat and displacing the species that originally lived there.
Here are some steps you can take to avoid
helping invaders reach new habitats in Missouri.
Bait buckets are a major culprit in transporting exotic aquatic animals.
So never dump unused bait minnows or crayfish into any Missouri river or lake,
unless you actually caught your bait from that exact location.
The woodland crayfish is a Missouri species,
but it was introduced into the upper St. Francis River drainage, where it didn't belong.
In some places, this larger, more aggressive species
has completely replaced the native Big Creek and St. Francis River crayfish.
The Missouri River is now home to a couple of exotic carp
that can pose a danger to boaters and anglers.
We really don't want them spreading into other rivers or into our lakes
so if you catch minnows for bait from the Missouri River,
be sure to release any you have left back into the Missouri River.
European Zebra mussels have become a major problem
in some US waterways,
but we're doing our best to control their spread in Missouri.
This task is made more difficult because, in their early stages,
Zebra mussels are nearly invisible.
By touch, they feel like grains of sand or grit attached to a surface.
You can guarantee you're not transporting them
by cleaning your boat and trailer before moving
from one body of water to another.
Wash the boat, trailer, all parts of the motor and fishing equipment
with hot water and bleach.
And be sure to empty bait buckets and live wells
on dry land before refilling them with fresh water.