Narrowing the search for European green crab in Washington’s inland waters
Presentation Abstract
The invasive, fist-sized European green crab was first found in waters adjacent to the Salish Sea in 1998 after warm El Nino currents spread larvae of California populations up the Eastern Pacific coast to estuaries as far north as Vancouver Island. Most outer coast populations had limited establishment success, persisting as either small or geographically constrained populations. Because of the potential risk the invasive crab posed to coastal resources, it was designated a deleterious species in Washington State, placing strict constraints on possession and transport of the species and giving the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife authority to monitor and control the crabs. The Salish Sea appeared to be green crab-free until Fisheries and Oceans Canada staff discovered a thriving population in 2012 in Sooke Inlet near Victoria, British Columbia. To help inform monitoring and public outreach efforts, students from the University of Washington worked with staff from Washington Sea Grant and the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences to identify, map and prioritize suitable green crab habitat using course physical, biological and access characteristics that could be observed in satellite imagery. Nearly 100 locations appear to have high likelihood of being suitable for European green crab establishment. In August 2013, the authors surveyed for crab molts at select high priority locations on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and around Hood Canal and found no green crab molts. The surveys will be repeated in 2014 with outreach to coastal communities around selected priority locations.
Session Title
Session S-09E: Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Species: Threats and Conservation
Conference Track
Species and Food Webs
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 6:30 PM
Location
Room 6C
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Green crab--Habitat--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Green crab--Monitoring--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Narrowing the search for European green crab in Washington’s inland waters
Room 6C
The invasive, fist-sized European green crab was first found in waters adjacent to the Salish Sea in 1998 after warm El Nino currents spread larvae of California populations up the Eastern Pacific coast to estuaries as far north as Vancouver Island. Most outer coast populations had limited establishment success, persisting as either small or geographically constrained populations. Because of the potential risk the invasive crab posed to coastal resources, it was designated a deleterious species in Washington State, placing strict constraints on possession and transport of the species and giving the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife authority to monitor and control the crabs. The Salish Sea appeared to be green crab-free until Fisheries and Oceans Canada staff discovered a thriving population in 2012 in Sooke Inlet near Victoria, British Columbia. To help inform monitoring and public outreach efforts, students from the University of Washington worked with staff from Washington Sea Grant and the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences to identify, map and prioritize suitable green crab habitat using course physical, biological and access characteristics that could be observed in satellite imagery. Nearly 100 locations appear to have high likelihood of being suitable for European green crab establishment. In August 2013, the authors surveyed for crab molts at select high priority locations on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and around Hood Canal and found no green crab molts. The surveys will be repeated in 2014 with outreach to coastal communities around selected priority locations.
