On restaurant menus across New England, green crabs are showing up in everything from bouillabaisse and bisques to croquettes and crudo. The umami-packed crabs are harvested locally — often a big selling point for diners. What patrons may not realize, however, is that by indulging in green crab for dinner, they're also working to combat the growth of an invasive species.
European green crabs have been found in the Atlantic from New Brunswick to South Carolina, as well as in Puget Sound and along the West Coast. They are not native to these waters, where they easily outcompete native fish and shellfish for food and habitat. With few natural predators, invasive green crab populations have dug in, overtaking the eelgrass beds that native birds and fish depend upon to survive. They are also voracious eaters of clams, mussels and scallops, making them a huge threat to the billion-dollar shellfish industries on both coasts.
