Thursday September 5, 2024
Kitsap Sun —
Invasive European green crabs have likely found a lasting home in Washington’s coastal waters and parts of Puget Sound.
The question now is whether the state can pinch down hard enough on the aquatic pests to prevent serious harm to native wildlife, shoreline ecosystems, and the commercial shellfish industry. Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, tribes, shellfish growers, and local conservation districts are all taking part in the battle against the unwelcome crustaceans.
“This is one of the rare environmental issues that everybody has, basically, the same goal, which is to see fewer green crabs in Washington,” said Emily Grason, crab team manager at Washington Sea Grant. “It’s brought together a lot of groups that don’t always work together.”
Trapping is the main method in the fight. As of Aug. 4, the Department of Fish and Wildlife said about 905,320 European green crabs have been captured since 2022 — more than 258,888 this year.