Invasive European Green Crabs Spotted near La Push

European Green CrabPhoto byWikimedia Commons

A foreign and destructive crab species has been captured in a new area off the Washington Coast, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported on Monday.

The European green crab, according to the WDFW, is a type of invasive shore crab threatening native shellfish, eelgrass, and salmon, among other local species. The species is found in shallow areas— typically less than 25 feet of water — including estuaries, mudflats, intertidal zones, and beaches, the department reports.

The crab was located near the port of La Push the week of Aug. 5 around the Quileute Marina on the Quileute Reservation, according to the WDFW. This is the first time it's been detected in the North Central Coast Management Area, the WDFW reports.

“The detection of invasive crabs around La Push is not surprising given their populations to the north in Makah Bay and the south in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay,” said Chelsey Buffington, WDFW’s European green crab project lead.

The WDFW and its agency partners have removed over 258,000 European green crabs in Washington waters this year, according to the department, mostly from Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor on the southern Washington coast.

“European green crabs do not respect jurisdictional boundaries,” said Justin Bush, WDFW Aquatic Invasive Species policy coordinator and the state’s EGC Emergency Incident Commander. “This is an excellent example of tribal nations, the state, and researchers working together to address a shared problem that threatens our environment and coastal economies.”

Anyone who finds a suspected European green crab or its shell in Washington is urged to take photos and report it as soon as possible, the WDFW reports. They can be submitted at wdfw.wa.gov/greencrab or through the Washington Invasive Species Council’s WA Invasives mobile app.

It is illegal to possess a live European green crab in Washington, the WDFW reports further, though the WDFW is not asking the public to kill suspected European green crabs to avoid misidentifying native crabs.