Lummi Nation declares disaster as tens of thousands of invasive European green crab found

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The Lummi Indian Business Council has passed a resolution declaring a disaster after more than 70,000 European green crab — an invasive species — were captured and removed from the Lummi Sea Pond in recent months.

The Tribe cultivates shellfish and juvenile salmon in the 750-acre sea pond surrounded by the most productive natural shellfish beds on the reservation. The crabs threatens hatchery operations, Tribal shellfish harvests and may have larger impacts if the infestation spreads.

“The appearance of the European green crab is a serious threat to our treaty fishing rights,” Lummi Nation Chairman William Jones Jr. said in a press release.

The council passed the resolution Tuesday, Nov. 23, following a multi-agency effort led by the Lummi Natural Resources Department to remove the aggressive predator that consumes shellfish, destroys salmon habitat and is credited with the rapid decline of Maine’s soft-shell clam industry within the past decade.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/lummi-nation-declares-disaster-tens-130000453.html

[Tanuki]

1. They are apparently edible, boiled like a blue crab, so maybe someone

would be interested in harvesting them intensively for consumption. From the Sierra Club:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2016-2-march-april/taste-test/5-best-invasive-species-eat%3famp

"European green crab

The European green crab, a quick-breeding crustacean sold by the bucket in the markets of Italy, has colonized both North American coasts, dramatically reducing the numbers of native crabs, clams, and scallops.

Green crabs are small, but you can boil and eat them just as you would an Atlantic blue crab."...(more)