About the Curator

My name is Dr Premek Hamr (aka drCrayfish) and I am presently an adjunct faculty member in the Biology Department of Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. I am primarily a crayfish biologist working in cooperation with the OFAH Invasive Species Awareness Program, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and various biological consultants.  My research centers on the distribution, conservation and life history of aquatic and terrestrial crayfish species as well as the expansion of exotic crayfishes in Canada.  I have been identifying and tracking introduced species (such as the Marbled, Red swamp, White River and Rusty crayfishes) in the province and have produced a comprehensive report on the impact of invasive crayfish species in Ontario which resulted in the recent changes in provincial legislation regarding invasive species. Most recently I have co-authored the Guide to Ontario crayfishes in spring 2024 and published numerous scientific and popular articles dealing with Canadian and Australian crayfishes. I have also worked for the Inland Fisheries Service in Australia, the Canadian Wildlife Service in Canada.  Prior to re-devoting myself to crayfish research fulltime in 2019, I lectured in Biology and Environmental Science at Trent University and Upper Canada College.

I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science at Concordia University in Montreal and my Master’s degree in Freshwater Ecosystems from Trent University in Peterborough. From 1985 to 1993 he resided in Hobart, Tasmania where I obtained his doctorate from the Zoology Department at the University of Tasmania. As a part of my PhD thesis, I studied the life history of the Giant Tasmanian Crayfish, a spectacular species, which reaches weights of up to 4 kg. 

I am  also a scientific illustrator and has contributed illustrations for reports, information sheets, online publications and posters as well as various field guides and books in Canada, US and Australia. My illustrations among others include fossils, glacial landscapes, various plants, fish ear bones, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects and of course his favourite crayfish! 

One of my latest projects is co-authoring and contributing photographs and illustrations to The Field Guide to Crayfishes in Canada 2026.