Tag Archives: invasive green crabs
Scarborough fishermen try to beat green crab problem to death
Under a sliver of a moon, dressed in hip waders and wearing headlamps or carrying flashlights, they made their way, carrying bats, hockey sticks, ski poles and homemade weapons in search of night-time predators. Their mission: Murder green crabs. About 20 fishermen participated in the June 28 conservation project along the banks of the Jones Creek and Nonesuch River, hoping to kill as many invasive green crabs as possible before the crustaceans prey upon the clams – and the fishermen’s livelihood. The crabs came out at night, as usual, to feed on clams, but on June 28 they were met by the fishermen, who crushed them with their various weapons. Killing the crabs – which do not die easily even when punctured – made a “crunching” sound. click here to read the story 12:01
Mysterious drop in prized bait worms threatens a way of life
Dan Harrington makes his living unearthing marine worms by hacking away at mudflats with a tool that resembles the business end of an old steel rake. He’s fine with the freezing weather, the pungent aromas and the occasional nip from an angry crab, but his latest problem is the big one – the worms just aren’t there like they used to be.,,, Scientists are struggling to figure out where the worms have gone. Among the factors that could play a role in the decline are rising temperatures in the Gulf of Maine, changes in currents that distribute worm larvae and increased harvesting pressure, said William Ambrose, a Bates College professor and marine researcher. It’s also possible a growing number of invasive green crabs is preying on the worms, said Brian Beal, a marine ecology professor at the University of Maine at Machias. click> (invasive green crab discovered in Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge) But Beal and Ambrose say more research is needed to understand what’s going on. click here to read the story 10:26
A possible resurgence of invasive green crabs poses a threat to Casco Bay’s soft-shell clams
Soft-shell clams are a summer tradition around Casco Bay, both for the tourists and residents who love steamers and for the clam diggers who turn long, backbreaking hours on the mud flats into cold, hard cash. But an infestation of invasive green crabs ravaged juvenile clam stocks in the past four years, adding to ecological changes, competition for coastal access and other pressures facing the state’s second most valuable fishery. Clam landings in the Casco Bay communities of Freeport, Harpswell and Brunswick, some of the state’s leading clam producers, plummeted to historic lows in 2015, and the scarcity of soft-shell clams contributed to all-time high prices. Read the rest here 09:21
Wearing Rose Colored Glasses on P.E.I. – High hopes that Invasive green crabs could become lucrative commercial fishery
P.E.I.’s first commercial green crab fishery is underway. Fourteen fishermen have been granted licences from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans to fish this invasive species until mid-November. Not a lot of green crab has been landed so far. Fishermen believe the two recent harsh winters have knocked numbers down. Luke Poirier says chefs have been making the crab into a single-bite appetizer using Cajun-style spices. He believes a successful soft-shelled crab fishery will be established eventually on P.E.I. Read the rest here 09:47
LePage veto kills bill to find ways to stamp out invasive green crabs – Let’s react to the data!
Essentially, the bill would have restored the closure of certain mudflats to clam and worm harvesting to make way for more data collection. LePage said he didn’t support the bill that originally created the pilot project and vetoed this year’s proposed extension because he believes its continuation is unnecessary. “The pilot project has been conducted and the data has been gathered,” wrote LePage. “Let’s react to the data, not simply continue to extend this pilot ad infinitum.” Read the rest here 15:46
Green crab shell secret cracked
Because they all seem to moult together, they all spend about 24 hours in a vulnerable but more docile state before the new shells harden. The strategy for fishermen would be to catch the crabs just before moulting. Then processors could manipulate the water temperature to try to trigger moulting, and sort crabs for processing as they cast their hard shells. Read the rest here 10:34
NC firm encourages Maine fishermen to sell invasive green crabs to be processed into cat food
Bay City Crab purchased two tractor-trailer loads — a total of 22,000 pounds — of crabs earlier this summer from Boothbay Harbor-area harvesters and processed them at their plant based in Aurora, North Carolina. The firm then shipped the crabmeat to a cat food company, plant manager Chrissy Fulcher said Friday. Read more here 09:22
FREEPORT, Maine – Invasive green crabs creep back into Casco Bay
Despite cautious optimism earlier this year that midcoast mudflats would be spared, invasive European green crabs were apparently only waiting for warmer water to scurry back into the area and begin wreaking havoc on the shellfish industry. Read more here 15:33
Maine: Midcoast researchers prepare for new battle with invasive green crabs
FREEPORT, Maine — This time last year, Brunswick Marine Resources Officer Dan Devereaux pulled back a clump of mud along the banks of Harpswell Cove and revealed a swarm of green crabs frenetically scurrying for cover. Read more here 07:22
