There's an unwelcome creature in Tilde Lake, and officials in northwest Minnesota are urging residents to be on alert for ... crawfish.

After two crawfish were found in the lake, the state's Department of Natural Resources sounded the alarm, according to a report on the MPRNews public radio site.

The DNR said the crawfish are harmful because they compete with native species for habitat and "their burrowing habits ... cause damage to levees, dams and water control structures."

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In fact, "without a permit, it is illegal to import or possess red swamp crayfish in Minnesota," Heidi Wolf, DNR invasive species unit supervisor, said in a statement.

The DNR said the most humane way to dispose of the creatures is to "put them in a plastic bag in the freezer for a day, then put the bag into the trash."

Pity. Entire cookbooks have been written in Louisiana dedicated to much more delicious ways to accomplish the same goal.

See the full MPRNews story here.