The results are in from our collaborative Crayfish Study and Spokane River Crayfish have the lowest mercury concentrations in the region! This fascinating result may run counter intuitive to those familiar with the decades long pollution flowing into our river, especially from sources upstream of Lake Coeur d’Alene. However, it’s theorized that metals from the Silver Basin, which causes Lake Coeur to contain the most metal pollution of any lake in North America, actually captures mercury, and causes cleaner water to flow downstream to the Spokane River. This is not the case with other metals, as arsenic, lead, and zinc still are found in high levels upstream of upriver dam.
Catching crayfish with the community was a blast and we will be continuing this study in 2023. Check out the photos below!
