Buy naming rights for new crayfish
In his classic play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare famously pondered “what’s in a name?” For a newly discovered species of Kentucky crayfish, the answer is a large sum of cash.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is holding a sponsorship campaign, offering naming rights of the freshwater crustacean to the highest bidder. The sponsorship will support the department’s Kentucky Wild program, designed to conserve vulnerable Kentucky wildlife.
A new program for the department, Kentucky Wild pays for conservation projects for species not hunted, fished or trapped, such as the monarch butterfly and the eastern hellbender salamander.
The new crayfish species was discovered through thesis research by Fish and Wildlife Biologist Zack Couch in the mid-2000s. The discovery was made when studying crayfish in the Pond Creek Watershed in southern Jefferson County and northern Bullitt County.
Couch said it previously was assumed the crayfish population of this watershed was made up of a species known as Louisville crayfish. Upon further investigation, distinctions were observed between the Louisville crayfish and the new species.
“Essentially what people thought was one species of crayfish was actually two,” Couch said.
The genetic and morphometric analysis of the species recently was completed. Couch said a manuscript detailing species information is expected to be released later this year.
In addition to its Pond Creek habitat, Couch said the crayfish also have been found in a stream in Meade County. Couch said he is unsure if the species is native to Meade County or if it was introduced through human interference.
Couch said this is the 65th known species of crayfish discovered in Kentucky, an amount he said is greater than some countries and continents.
“We’re blessed to have this diversity here in the state and we have a group here at Fish and Wildlife that are working on the research and management of it,” he said.
Couch said while most researchers who discover a new species are given the privilege of naming it, he said opening the process up to the public puts a spotlight not just on the new crayfish species but on Kentucky’s diverse ecosystem and the department’s efforts in preserving it.
“How many people would be interested in talking about it if I just called this thing the Pond Creek crayfish?” Couch said. “This is a good opportunity for us to get the word out about the work that we do here and the importance of that work to, hopefully, get more of the public engaged in some of these non-game species.”
The deadline to submit a sponsorship bid is Friday. The entry form is available on the KDFWR website and participating companies and individuals must provide their contact information, bidding amount, suggested name for the crayfish and reasoning behind the name. There also are fields for corporate entities to provide background information on their history and the nature of their business.
Couch said the only circumstance in which a name would be rejected is if it is deemed vulgar or offensive. The highest bidder instead would have the opportunity to change their original submission or the second-highest bidder would be selected to name the species.
The campaign is open to any individual or corporate entity, regardless of their location. Those submitting a name are bidding on the common name of the species, as opposed to the scientific name. Department officials will select the scientific name in conjunction with the chosen sponsor.
“You can use this opportunity to memorialize a loved one or if you’re a corporation, this is good PR because the money is going to a good cause,” Couch said. “Anytime someone talks about this crayfish, that’s essentially free PR.”
By Andrew Critchelow
The News-Enterprise
