"> For the past six years, a volunteer crew has been diligently visiting Nick’s Lagoon near Seabeck on Hood Canal, checking the waters for the destructive European green crab. The three citizen scientists have caught and released lots of native crabs — including thousands of hairy shore crabs. But, until May of this year, they never […]
May 24, 2021
"> As in a pandemic, the battle against invasive species may well depend on early actions
As Americans, we have become all too familiar with the spread of a deadly virus and the terrible consequences of a delayed response to an outbreak. As a result of our experience, I’m wondering if some of us might have a more visceral sense about the need to control invasive species. I’m not saying that […]
March 29, 2021
"> Invasive mussel triggers widespread talks, increased coordination with pet stores
Baby zebra mussels, no bigger than a grain of rice, provoked an emergency response across the country in early March, and now state and federal officials are contemplating changes to protect the Northwest from an invasive species that some people have unknowingly invited into their fish tanks. Nothing official has been proposed, but experts are […]
June 5, 2020
"> Hornets, crabs and rodents: setting traps to locate and contain invasive species
While media reports were raising alarms about an invasion of dangerous “murder hornets,” Washington state entomologists were quietly planning a trapping program, which will mark the beginning of a search-and-destroy mission against the Asian giant hornets. Trapping has become a primary tool in the early detection of invasive species. Traps are often used to control […]
May 26, 2020
"> Search for invasive green crab continues during pandemic
The state’s stay-at-home order has halted much of the field research that would normally be underway in Puget Sound this spring, but a small group of scientists and volunteers have been able to continue their search for an invading marauder along the shoreline. Their work has been classified as critical by the state. Eric Wagner […]
May 31, 2019
"> Story map details efforts to stop green crabs in Puget Sound
Researchers have been on high alert since the 2016 discovery of the invasive European green crab in Puget Sound. So far, monitoring teams have found relatively few crabs, but experts worry that a population could grow rapidly and damage the native ecosystem. Now a collaboration of volunteers, agencies and tribes is working to stop the […]
May 15, 2018
"> Where did the Puget Sound green crabs come from? We’re still not sure
Genetic testing shows that invasive European green crabs in Puget Sound likely did not come from the Sooke Basin in British Columbia as previously thought. New findings on the crab’s origins were presented at the 2018 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Seattle. Scientists are looking at a variety of potential sources. Read the Story in […]
September 23, 2016
Second invasive green crab found in Puget Sound
Last month, Puget Sound Institute senior writer Christopher Dunagan’s series on invasive species in Puget Sound highlighted some of the state’s worries about the arrival of the European green crab. The article noted that “the threat could be just around the corner.” It could not have been more timely. Several weeks after the article was published, volunteer crab spotters led by Washington Sea Grant […]
August 3, 2016
New in Salish Sea Currents: Invasive stowaways threaten Puget Sound ecosystem
Invasive species are among the three greatest threats to the environment worldwide, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Species ranging from microscopic viruses to larger creatures like rodents and non-native fish can alter the balance of entire ecosystems. The threat is well-known in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, which face their own unique challenges. This week, our […]
January 12, 2012
Still no zebra mussels in Washington
Hard to tell if this news is positive or foreboding, but the Puget Sound region starts another year with a clean bill of health on at least one front. The Washington Invasive Species Council reports that Washington is one of only five Western states remaining with no invasion of zebra mussels. That’s good for Washington […]