Please bring a friend and join us for the next Olympia Science Café.

When: 7:00 PM, Tuesday, 14 June 2016

Where:  Orca Books (509 East 4th Avenue, Olympia, Phone 360.352.0123)

Our June Topic Is: Another threat to Washington’s shores: Green Crab Science Café Awareness

The European green crab (Carcinus maenas), considered one of the world’s worst invasive species, is poised to enter Washington’s inland shoreline ecosystems.  Washington Sea Grant, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, and partners at the University of Washington have joined to launch Crab Team, a volunteer-based early detection and monitoring program to improve the understanding of native salt marsh and pocket estuary organisms, and how they could be affected by green crabs.

Due to strong, warm ocean currents the European green crab has been established along the coastline of Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver Island. In 2012, a population of green crabs was discovered in Sooke Inlet, west of Victoria. Favorable conditions mean that the robust population of green crabs in Sooke could send the floating larvae our way negatively affecting native habitats and species.

Biologists and trained volunteers are monitoring beaches for the early detection of green crab when it is easiest to eradicate or control populations. How can you help? Everyone can help in the effort to spot European green crabs. On your next beach walk, pay close attention to the crab shells you find washed up on the beach. Most invasions are detected from the shed crab shells rather than live individuals. The best way to identify European green crabs is that they have 5 spines on the back shell to the outside of each eye. Color is not an accurate way to identify the crab as its color varies and can be mistaken for several of our native “green” colored crab species. To learn more about the threat of invasion, how to identify green crabs and a link to the reporting form, visit the Crab Team website: http://wsg.washington.edu/crabteam