The aquarium trade is a known pathway for a variety of non-native and invasive species, and it is of increasing concern to managers and researchers. Non-native crayfish are increasingly available to individuals through retail markets as a part of the aquarium trade. Due to concerns about invasion by non-native and invasive crayfish species, states in the Great Lakes region regulate the possession and sale of some of these species. We conducted aquarium and pet store visits across six Great Lakes states (IL, IN, MI, NY OH, & PA) to survey the species present and assess employees' knowledge of crayfish regulations and identification. At each location, the species present were identified, and employees were offered a survey to complete. We found that ~30% of surveyed aquarium stores sold crayfish. Eight different species were present across all surveys, with Everglades crayfish (Procambarus alleni) being the most common. Two species of regulated crayfish (red swamp crayfish and marbled crayfish) were found during retailer visits. The frequency of regulated species and crayfish varied across states from 0% of stores selling crayfish in Pennsylvania to over 40% of stores in Michigan . Retail employee surveys revealed several valuable insights into their level of knowledge surrounding crayfish and their regulations. Forty percent of retailers surveyed indicated that they received unrequested (hitchhiker) crayfish, and the majority of these retailers did not attempt to identify or simply gave away hitchhikers to patrons. Our survey indicated that employees rarely identified crayfish species due to a lack of time and knowledge to classify morphologically similar species. This project demonstrates that despite recent regulations prohibiting invasive crayfish, they are both present in the retail trade and stores may require additional training to assist in the implementation of these regulations.