Invasive Green Crab Monitoring Volunteer Training

Invasive European Green Crabs could be coming to a beach near you!

Washington Sea Grant is partnering with Stream Team and the South Sound Estuary Association (SSEA) to monitor for invasive European Crabs at sites throughout south Puget Sound. If you are interested in monitoring local pocket estuaries, this workshop is for you. The workshop will cover Green Crab life history, threats to Puget Sound, crab identification, and instruction on monitoring protocols.

In 2012, an established population of the globally invasive crab was discovered in Sooke Inlet, B.C., on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the first time this species has been found in the Salish Sea. The presence of this invasive crab within the Salish Sea increases the chances that European Green Crabs could invade further into inland Puget Sound shorelines, where habitat is plentiful for green crabs to thrive.

Volunteers will be trained to conduct monthly (July-August) trapping and/or molt surveys for Green Crabs and  other crabs and fish that live at select sites. All necessary equipment and training will be provided. Observations will contribute, not only to the conservation of Washington shorelines, but also to research on our diverse pocket estuary habitats. Curious about whether your favorite shoreline might be good Green Crab habitat? Visit the following Washington Sea Grant website to see priority shoreline sites: www.tinyurl.com/wagreencrab.