It’s unwelcome by the US Fish and Wildlife, over-sexed and in American waters: the Chinese Mitten Crab has spread to both eastern and western coastal lines, and is alarming conservationists.
Capable of thriving both in seawater and fresh waterways, the crustacean invader joins the list of aquatic invasive species as a major threat to native wildlife.
Ms. Chinese Mitten Crab’s impacts are likely to be damaging and her continued spread seems certain. She can grow to 5-6cms, gets her name from her conspicuous furry claws, or as she calls them…mittens. Unlike native crabs, she is very adaptable and can exist in salt and fresh water. Did we mention her furry mittens are pretty soft?
During breeding season, Chinese Mittens gather in large “swarms” in estuary waters. Each female lays 250,000-1m eggs each, giving the species a dramatic capacity for invasion. The crabs feed on other invertebrates and fish eggs, affecting river ecology. They also have a habit of burrowing into riverbanks, undermining flood banks and shorelines.
“Anyone spending time on the Bay or its tidal tributaries this summer who spots a crab with furry looking claws is asked to report the sighting to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
The center, based in Edgewater, MD, is trying to gather information about the distribution and abundance of Chinese mitten crabs in the region to help develop plans to control their spread and limit their damage.
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| Got Furry Crabs? Control the Spread and Report it! |
Since 2005, more than 100 of the crabs, which are native to East Asia, have been found in mid-Atlantic estuaries from the Chesapeake Bay to the Hudson River, and biologists believe the species may have the potential to spread as far south as Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.” To read more…
Reports can be made and photos uploaded by visiting a new reporting website http://mittencrab.nisbase.org/and going to the tab "My Crabs."
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