Lax Kw’alaams has seen an increase in invasive European Green Crabs within its traditional waters, which they are actively working to remove.
European Green Crabs can be damaging to the native ecosystem because these crabs destroy the beds of shellfish and prey on many native marine species such as clams, oysters, small fish and other crustaceans, including juvenile lobsters.
Fisheries and aquaculture industries may be affected as these crabs damage eels as they enter traps, making eel harvesting more difficult. European Green Crabs can create an imbalance in the ecosystem and a disruption to the food chain by outcompeting other crab species and preying heavily on other marine life.
What makes the European Green Crab a threat is its resilience. These crabs can live for up to seven years in waters with varying levels of salt content. Adult European Green Crabs can survive for up to five days out of water and females lay up to 185,000 eggs once or twice a year.
Over the summer, Lax Kw’alaams Fisheries Technician Team spent 15 days trapping and removing these crabs from Lax Kw’alaams traditional waters.
Despite limited funding, the fisheries technicians remain vigilant but say that the large territory of Lax Kw’alaams is difficult to cover on their own so they are asking for residents support.
Community members are being advised to keep an eye out for the invasive crabs and report any sightings. The crabs are described as having five points on each side of the eye, a carapace with a similar length and width and are typically only 10 centimeters in length.
Residents are being advised not to release these crabs back into the ocean, kill them on the site or dispose carcasses into the water. If any resident has a question about these crabs, they can email [email protected].
