Researchers are using tiny backpacks to track threatened crayfish

Name: Researchers are using tiny backpacks to track threatened crayfish
Uploaded: 2026-08-19T19:43:20-04:00
Duration: 12 s
Description: Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are attaching tiny backpacks to Big Sandy crayfish to track their movements and survival as part of an effort to boost the species’ population. The new technology could help researchers better understand the threatened species and improve conservation efforts.

Researchers are using tiny backpacks to track threatened crayfish

Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are attaching tiny backpacks to Big Sandy crayfish to track their movements and survival as part of an effort to boost the species’ population. The new technology could help researchers better understand the threatened species and improve conservation efforts.

THE TAKEAWAY

Biologists are using tiny "backpacks" to track the movements and survival of crayfish.
This is to help boost the population of the Big Sandy crayfish.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery on this effort.

It’s back-to-school season, and biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are testing out new backpacks — but not in the way you might think.

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Biologists are using tiny "backpacks" to track the movements and survival of crayfish as part of an effort to boost the population of the Big Sandy crayfish.

The Big Sandy crayfish is a freshwater crustacean that lives in rivers and streams throughout the Appalachian region. The species has been considered threatened for the past 10 years.

Biologists are using tiny "backpacks" to track the movements and survival of crayfish (Andreas Arnold/picture alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The USFWS is working with the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery in West Virginia to help boost the crayfish population.

How it works

The hatchery raises the crayfish for one to two months before tagging them with visible implant elastomer (VIE) tags when they are released back into the water.

The organization injects a small, colored tag under the crayfish’s pleon, or abdomen, allowing researchers to identify crayfish raised at the hatchery.

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The Big Sandy crayfish has been considered threatened for the past 10 years. (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

But tracking the animals after they are released can still be difficult. Now, the USFWS is testing a new type of tag to make it easier to track the crayfish.

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The technology is similar to a VIE or PIT tag, which allows researchers to individually identify specimens. However, the crayfish are too small to carry a traditional PIT tag.

So the USWF created tiny "backpacks."

Researchers attach the tags to the crayfish using super glue, creating a tiny backpack. (Andreas Arnold/picture alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag is a tiny, battery-free microchip with a unique code that can be activated when scanned.

Researchers attach the tags to the crayfish using superglue, creating a tiny backpack that stays in place without interfering with the animals.

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The Big Sandy crayfish is a freshwater crustacean that lives in rivers and streams. (YOHAN BONNET/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Before testing the technology on the Big Sandy crayfish, researchers conducted a two-and-a-half-week study on a common surrogate crayfish species to make sure the tags were safe.

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They found that the superglue kept the tags securely in place without harming the creatures. The tagged crayfish were even able to molt normally.