Massachusetts

Potentially Damaging Crab Species Turns Up in Maine Waters

A scientist with an environmental group says she has found what she believes is the first recorded appearance of a potentially damaging species of crab in Maine waters.

Marissa McMahan of the Massachusetts-based group Manomet says she located the smooth mud crab earlier this month on a research trip. The crabs are typically found south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The crabs can pose problems for aquaculture businesses because they prey on young oysters.

The single specimen is still alive, as McMahan collected it.

Other outside species of crabs already pose a threat to Maine's ecosystem. Acadia National Park officials said earlier this fall that a molted shell of an Asian shore crab was found along the shore. It was among the first confirmed reports of the species in the area.

Copyright A
Contact Us