First detections of highly invasive European green crab on Orcas Island
Students from Orcas Island Middle School discover green crab molt while on a field trip
Orcas Island, WA — Evidence of invasive European green crab was detected for the first time on Orcas Island in May, when a Washington Sea Grant (WSG) Crab Team volunteer monitor and science teacher Amy Sprenger reported one of the distinctive five-pointed shells on Crescent Beach in Eastsound.
Third Annual Salish Sea-wide Molt Blitz coming June 26
Are you one of the millions of Washington residents living on or near the Salish Sea? Join the Salish Sea-wide Molt Blitz on June 26 to contribute to the largest single-day dataset of crab molts collected in our state.
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WSG staff receive 2026 College of the Environment awards
Washington Sea Grant is happy to share that five staff members have been selected for 2026 UW College of the Environment awards. Each year, the University of Washington’s College of the Environment recognizes outstanding individuals and teams who have made significant contributions to the college and the communities they serve.
Read moreFirst detection of highly invasive European green crab in Skagit Bay
A participant from the Molt Search program made the important discovery
La Conner, Wash. — In late September, the molt from a European green crab was found at Similk Beach, on the northern end of the Swinomish Tribal Reservation.
Read moreResearchers to map the genome of the invasive European green crab
With state funding, Washington Sea Grant will work with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to shed light on a highly invasive species
SEATTLE – Washington state will soon have another tool to support long-term management for one of the highest priority invasive species, European green crab, thanks to additional state funding dedicated to genetic research.
In the hunt for invasive green crab, Molt Search seeks their shedded shells
WSG Crab Team’s new program makes it easy to get involved in invasive species response
From the Summer 2024 Sea Star
By Alison Lorenz, WSG Communications Project Coordinator
When Lisa Watkins started at WSG as a community science specialist, WSG Crab Team was almost ten years old.
Salish Sea-wide Molt Blitz coming June 20
Are you one of the millions of Washington residents living on or near the Salish Sea? Join the Salish Sea-wide Molt Blitz on June 20 to contribute to the largest-ever single-day dataset of crab molts collected in our state.
Read moreWSG receives $1.59 million to boost Puget Sound habitat
The two WSG-led projects selected for funding will focus on sea level rise vulnerability and managing invasive European green crab
Two projects led by Washington Sea Grant (WSG) will receive a total of $1.59 million through the Puget Sound National Estuary Program’s Habitat Strategic Initiative, a partnership between Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Washington Department of Natural Resources.
Watch: Why we monitor for green crabs
The Washington Sea Grant Crab Team’s volunteer-based early detection program helps us stay on top of potential new invasions of the green crab.
In this new video, Crab Team Program Lead Emily Grason takes us to our longest-running monitoring site in the South Puget Sound, where we are glad to report that no green crabs have been found.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recognizes WSG Crab Team
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife named Washington Sea Grant Crab Team the Organization of the Year. Made up of Kate Litle, Dr. Emily Grason, Dr. P. Sean McDonald, Jeff Adams, Alex Stote, and Amy Linhart, Crab Team was launched in 2015 in response to a WDFW request to lead an early detection monitoring program for European green crabs within Washington’s Salish Sea.
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