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Status of the European Green Crab in Oregon and Washington Estuaries in 2009

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/defaults/pc289k188

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  • Prepared for the Aquatic Nuisance Species Project, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.
  • A strong cohort of young European green crabs (Carcinus maenas) appeared in North American embayments from Oregon to the west coast of Vancouver Island following the strong El Niño of 1997/1998. Unusually strong north-moving coastal currents transported crab larvae from established source populations in California to the Pacific Northwest. Both coastal transport and recruitment of young green crabs have been weaker since. Although it was predicted that green crabs would become extinct in the Pacific Northwest once the original colonists died of senescence at about age six, this has not happened. Age-class analysis and the appearance of young crabs evidence the existence of local recruitment in the Pacific Northwest. Good recruitment in 2003, 2005 and 2006 is linked to warm winters and shore-ward transport in late winter and early spring when larvae are believed to be settling out from the plankton. Recruitment in 2007, 2008 and 2009 has been poor in Oregon and Washington, but the strong 2005 and 2006 cohorts assure a larval source until 2012 when the last of these crabs will die of old age. Extensive surveys by Fisheries and Oceans Canada found green crabs in all the major inlets on the west coast of Vancouver Island, but none in the inland sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland nor north of Vancouver Island. Therefore, outreach efforts should continue to help prevent the establishment of this invader in the inland waters via ballast water or shellfish transport. Even though green crab abundance in the Pacific Northwest is still low when compared to Europe, eastern North America, Tasmania and California, it is imperative to continue monitoring efforts for two reasons: 1) to elucidate the process of range expansion and population persistence of this model non-indigenous marine species with planktonic larvae and 2) to understand the role of ocean conditions on recruitment strength in order to predict the next strong recruitment event of green crabs.
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file details PSMFCReportFall2009.pdf 2017-07-17 Public Download