Posted on Apr 4, 2023
Shellfish growers in Northwest's oyster capital want 'blitz' against invasive green crabs
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Shellfish growers in Willapa Bay in southwest Washington, the self-styled "Oyster Capital of the World," are alarmed by an invasion of potentially destructive non-native European green crabs. Some are asking for an all-out trapping offensive to corral the invasive species.
The spread of the voracious eaters is a coast-wide concern from northern California to Alaska, but the stakes are particularly high on the productive tidelands alongside the Long Beach Peninsula.
"We need a blitz," said Willapa Bay Shellfish owner Warren Cowell. "This is it, if it's not too late."
Cowell, other local oyster and clam growers and the Shoalwater Bay Tribe are deploying some of their workers part-time to trap and remove the invasive European green crabs. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is providing traps and reimbursing for time and boat fuel.
The spread of the voracious eaters is a coast-wide concern from northern California to Alaska, but the stakes are particularly high on the productive tidelands alongside the Long Beach Peninsula.
"We need a blitz," said Willapa Bay Shellfish owner Warren Cowell. "This is it, if it's not too late."
Cowell, other local oyster and clam growers and the Shoalwater Bay Tribe are deploying some of their workers part-time to trap and remove the invasive European green crabs. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is providing traps and reimbursing for time and boat fuel.
Shellfish growers in Northwest's oyster capital want 'blitz' against invasive green crabs
Posted from kuow.orgPosted in these groups: 
State of Washington
State of Washington
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The spread of the voracious eaters is a coast-wide concern from northern California to Alaska, but the stakes are particularly high on the productive tidelands alongside the Long Beach Peninsula.
"We need a blitz," said Willapa Bay Shellfish owner Warren Cowell. "This is it, if it's not too late."
Cowell, other local oyster and clam growers and the Shoalwater Bay Tribe are deploying some of their workers part-time to trap and remove the invasive European green crabs. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is providing traps and reimbursing for time and boat fuel.
On a brisk early spring morning, Cowell tagged along with his trapping crew in a 21-foot Boston Whaler to hunt down the invasive species. Crewmembers Djomar Hora and Carlos Hernandez hauled up and emptied dozens of traps placed around the commercial clam and oyster beds offshore of Nahcotta, Washington.
The square traps baited with herring came up filled mostly with juvenile native Dungeness crabs. But sprinkled in were darker colored, mottled green crabs, better recognized by their distinctive shell edges than their variable colors. Hora sorted the catch by hand and tossed the native Dungeness back, all the while trying not to get pinched.
"I have to be careful, especially around the Dungeness. The green crab won't pinch you that hard, but the Dungeness will," Hora said with a knowing laugh.
The crew collected 109 green crabs in less than two hours.
“With over a year of trapping, our numbers are still very high,” Cowell said."...
..."The spread of the voracious eaters is a coast-wide concern from northern California to Alaska, but the stakes are particularly high on the productive tidelands alongside the Long Beach Peninsula.
"We need a blitz," said Willapa Bay Shellfish owner Warren Cowell. "This is it, if it's not too late."
Cowell, other local oyster and clam growers and the Shoalwater Bay Tribe are deploying some of their workers part-time to trap and remove the invasive European green crabs. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is providing traps and reimbursing for time and boat fuel.
On a brisk early spring morning, Cowell tagged along with his trapping crew in a 21-foot Boston Whaler to hunt down the invasive species. Crewmembers Djomar Hora and Carlos Hernandez hauled up and emptied dozens of traps placed around the commercial clam and oyster beds offshore of Nahcotta, Washington.
The square traps baited with herring came up filled mostly with juvenile native Dungeness crabs. But sprinkled in were darker colored, mottled green crabs, better recognized by their distinctive shell edges than their variable colors. Hora sorted the catch by hand and tossed the native Dungeness back, all the while trying not to get pinched.
"I have to be careful, especially around the Dungeness. The green crab won't pinch you that hard, but the Dungeness will," Hora said with a knowing laugh.
The crew collected 109 green crabs in less than two hours.
“With over a year of trapping, our numbers are still very high,” Cowell said."...
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