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Invasive crab species at Lummi sea pond has experts, locals concerned
An explosion of an invasive species at the Lummi sea pond has experts concerned about what comes next.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - An explosion of an invasive species at the Lummi sea pond has experts concerned about what comes next.
European Green Crab – a species that’s only been found in Washington since the late 1990s – don’t have any native predators, but they’re known to eat anything and everything, according to Lummi biologist Bobbie Buzzell.
That spells trouble for not only Lummi Nation and it’s people, but the rest of Puget Sound. Currently, a number of groups including the tribe, WDFW and Washington Sea Grant are working together to trap the invasive crab. However, Buzzell told FOX 13 it won’t be enough.
"The trapping, in all honesty, at this rate won’t be the problem solver," she said. "We’re going to have to use other strategies, as well."
This past season, more than 70,000 European Green Crab were found in the Lummi sea pond. The year prior, the numbers were below 3,000.
The species has been found in other locations including Drayton Harbor, Samish Bay and Padilla Bay – but never in such high numbers.
Since Lummi Nation has seen a dwindling number of salmon in recent years, the concern is extremely high. In late 2021, Lummi Nation Tribal Chairman William Jones Jr. began to sound the alarm over the catch rates they were witnessing.
In December, the Lummi Indian Business Council declared a disaster due to the large numbers of crabs turning up in the Lummi sea pond. They hope that Gov. Jay Inslee will declare his own emergency to free up additional funding.
On Jan. 19, Inslee issued an emergency order to address the exponential increase in the crab population.
"The emergency order directs the Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to begin implementation of emergency measures, as necessary, to effect the eradication of or to prevent the permanent establishment and expansion of the European green crab. The order also directs the Department of Ecology to, and requests that the Department of Natural Resources and the State Parks and Recreation Commission, identify European green crab management as a high priority on their respective state-owned aquatic lands and to facilitate implementing emergency measures. Finally, the order urges the Legislature to provide additional emergency funding as requested by the WDFW as soon as possible," according to Inslee's office.
RELATED: Lummi Nation declares 'disaster' after removing over 70K invasive crab species
On the East Coast, the European Green Crab has wiped out entire colonies of mussels and eelgrass – the same could be true for clams, oysters, salmon and eelgrass in Washington state if the invasive species take root.
The news comes at a sensitive time for many of the species that the European Green Crab threatens. It’s no secret that salmon populations are struggling, while eelgrass restoration work has been ongoing in Washington state for decades after years of decline. Shellfish have had their own issues from toxins killing them, to the 2021 heatwave that killed off tens of thousands of shellfish.
Jones told FOX 13 that as many as 40% of the tribe's workforce rely on shellfish for their daily lives.
"In the long-run, the thing that’ll impact the most is our fishermen that do crabbing, or clam-digging for a living," said Jones. "The Lummi people heavily rely on our Salish Sea – it’s been our way of life since time immemorial."
The invasion of the Lummi sea pond isn’t entirely surprising in some ways – the 50-plus year old artificial lagoon supports salmon and shellfish, but it has created favorable – near-perfect – breeding conditions for the invasive species too.
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Invasive green crabs in Lummi Nation
European Green Crab – a species that’s only been found in Washington since the late 1990s – don’t have any native predators, but they’re known to eat anything and everything according to Lummi biologist Bobbie Buzzell.
Ben Starkhouse, a biologist who has worked with European Green Crab for years, said there is still hope. The most important thing right now is trapping – as the tribe, and other groups have been doing.
"With significantly more trapping effort, we could really bring down the population within the sea pond and, in doing so – help prevent the green crab from getting into neighboring tidelands," said Starkhouse.
That said, trapping alone won’t be the final solution. The hope is that it will keep numbers down while more strategies are developed, but more solutions will be needed to avoid the destructive force that East Coast cities have seen as the crabs have overtaken shorelines.
"It wasn’t until recently with climate change it worsened the conditions to make it more habitable for the East coast," said Buzzell. ‘And we’re seeing a similar thing on the West Coast."
This winter, catch rates are expected to plummet, as the crabs retreat in even colder months, but despite that Buzzell and her team were still finding European Green Crab in their traps in late December.
Next season, Jones said that the tribe will utilize tribal fisherman to trap even more crabs. In the meantime – there is hope for new strategies, and added funding through partnerships to tackle the problem as warmer temperatures return in 2022.
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