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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Aquatic Invasives / Aquatic Invertebrates / European Green Crab

European Green Crab

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European green crab
European green crab, adult - Photo by Caleb Siemmons; National Ecological Observatory Network
Scientific Name: 
Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus, 1758) (ITIS)
Common Name: 
European green crab, shore crab, Joe rocker
Native To: 
Europe (Carlton and Cohen 2003)
Date of U.S. Introduction: 
1817 (East Coast); 1980s (West Coast) (Carlton and Cohen 2003)
Means of Introduction: 
Possibly through ballast water, hull fouling, or intentional releases (Carlton and Cohen 2003)
Impact: 
Preys on bivalves and other crustaceans, such as soft-shell clams and scallops (Grosholz and Ruiz 2002)
Current U.S. Distribution: 
North Atlantic coast; Pacific Coast

Spotlights

Using eDNA to Monitor Alaskan Waters for Invasive European Green Crabs (Dec 1, 2020)

DOC. NOAA. Fisheries.

Natural resource managers in British Columbia discovered several adult male and female European green crabs on Haida Gwaii this past July. Alarm bells immediately went off for biologists in Alaska. The archipelago of Haida Gwaii, off the coast of Prince Rupert in British Columbia, is very close to Alaska. The July discovery is the closest confirmed finding of the invasive crustacean since it was first detected in the San Francisco Bay area in 1989.

Images

Google Images - European Green Crab
Google.

Videos

Invasive European Green Crab in Canadian Waters

Google. YouTube; Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

YouTube - Green Crab Invasion Hits Puget Sound

Google. YouTube; EarthFix Media.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for European Green Crab.

Council or Task Force
Priority Species: European Green Crab

Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Washington Invasive Species Council.

Species of Concern Fact Sheet: European Green Crab
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.
Partnership
The Exotics Guide: Non-native Marine Species of the North American Pacific Coast - Carcinus maenas (Sep 2011)

San Francisco Estuary Institute; Center for Research on Aquatic Bioinvasions.

Global Invasive Species Database - Carcinus maenas (crustacean)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Species Compendium - Carcinus maenas
CAB International.
NEANS Panel Online Guide - Green Crab
Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species Panel.
The Quiet Invasion: A Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area - European Green Crab, Mediterranean Green Crab

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Galveston Bay Estuary Program; Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC).

TISI Inventory - European Green Crab

Texas State University System. Texas Invasive Species Institute.

Federal Government
National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS) - Carcinus maenas

Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Marine Invasions Research Lab.

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database: Fact Sheet - Green Crab

DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.

Provides distribution maps and collection information (State and County).

International Government
Identify an Aquatic Invasive Species - European Green Crab

Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Marine Pests - European green crab (Carcinus maenas)

New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Australia).

State and Local Government
Aquatic Invasive Species - European Green Crab
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Invasive Species - European Green Crab (Carcinus maenas)
Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Academic
Delaware's Invasive Crabs - European Green Crab

University of Delaware. Delaware Sea Grant College Program.

See also: Delaware's Invasive Crabs for more story maps

Green Crab Team
Washington Sea Grant.
Introduced Species Summary Project - European Green Crab
Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.
Professional
Non-Indigenous Aquatic Species of Concern for Alaska - Green Crab (May 4, 2004) (PDF | 161 KB)

Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council.

See also: Marine Invasive Species for more fact sheets

Citations