Green crabs are survivors

European green crabs can survive in temperature ranges that native crabs, like the Dungeness wouldn’t tolerate.

A volunteer network to protect the Salish Sea

No one knows exactly how European green crabs might impact Washington’s inland waters, but their destructive track record calls for action. In 2015, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife entrusted Washington Sea Grant with leading a multi-partner monitoring effort to protect the Salish Sea.

Many local marine habitats are vulnerable. European green crabs can thrive in conditions that are less hospitable to native crustaceans like Dungeness crabs. Their adaptability to varying levels in temperature, oxygen and salinity makes the species almost perfectly suited to colonize new environments.

They are amazing survivors.”

“They are amazing survivors. I’ve seen them occupy habitats that defy explanation,” says McDonald. He, too, appreciates the diminutive crabs, even as he and Grason work to stop them.

Crab Team volunteers come from a range of professional backgrounds — no science experience required. Each small team monitors a site from April through September. Over two days, they set and check traps for European green crabs, and survey sites for molts: the exoskeletons (hard shells) that crabs shed as they grow.