European green crabs (Carcinus maenus) are an invasive species that first came to the New England coast, carried in ship ballast from Europe, in the early 1800s. These crabs have a wide tolerance range for environmental conditions, and compete aggressively for food and shelter with most of our native species, allowing them to easily expand their range and establish new populations. These crabs have had a particularly devastating impact on Maine shellfish populations in recent years, threatening the livelihood of hundreds of Maine shellfish harvesters.
RAI is currently placing a particular focus on designing studies in the lab and in the field, as well as partnering with other researchers and fostering communities efforts to better understand the physiology of green crabs in our area, and establish the most effective methods to combat green crab impacts on our habitat and our commercially valuable native shellfish species. Our newest large project will be Fighting for our Coastal Habitat: A Community Project to Remove Invasive
European Green Crabs from Two Coves in Brunswick, the details of which have been added to our "Projects" section. If you have a project you would like to share dealing with green crabs or would like to learn more about our work, please get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you.
