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.