Outreach, Environmental Threats, Volunteer Programs

WSG Crab Team: Green Crab Monitoring Program

Jeff Adams, Marine Ecologist

The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is considered one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species. Its impacts on the Washington Coast appear to have been minimal to date, but its potential effects on inland ecosystems are uncertain.

Following the discovery of green crab just west of Victoria, B.C., in 2012, WSG teamed up with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and other partners to establish a volunteer monitoring program — the WSG Crab Team — in Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This program works in tandem with an outreach campaign to increase the likelihood of detecting green crab infestations early.


After the WSG Crab Team detected the first green crab on San Juan Island in 2016, they expanded to 54 monitoring sites. Additional green crab were subsequently found in Padilla Bay, Sequim Bay and Whidbey Island by WSG Crab Team and volunteers or professional agency or tribal staff that were advised by the team. These are the first confirmed captures of  green crab along Washington’s inland shorelines. Such early detection offers the best chance for controlling the green crab and protecting important natural resources.

Learn more about preventing a crustacean invasion.

Enjoy this story map for more indepth information.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer monitor:


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