Crabola

The Marine Invasions Research Lab is reporting that the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) has now been found in New Jersey, in two locations during the past month. They're also reporting additional new sightings of the crab along the Hudson River in New York. The press release is tucked away on the sidebar of their website as a pdf file, so I'm just going to paste the whole thing in here:

CHINESE MITTEN CRAB ALERT U.S. Atlantic Coast Bays & Rivers

New 2008 Reports: New Jersey & New York

Please Report Any Sightings of This Crab

Mitten Crabs in the Eastern U.S. Live Chinese Mitten Crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) have been found in Chesapeake Bay (2005-2007), Delaware Bay (2007), Hudson River (2007-2008), and most recently in New Jersey (2008). To date, there have been 19 crabs documented and confirmed in the eastern United States, including four states, all in the past four years.

In New Jersey, mitten crabs were found in Toms River (June 1, 2008) and Raritan Bay (June 17, 2008). The Toms River crab is the first confirmed record in the state of New Jersey. The male crab, measuring 50mm, was found crawling on a crab holding pen (peeler pot). The second crab caught in New Jersey was collected by a commercial waterman in the Raritan Bay near Keyport, NJ on June 17, 2008; it has been identified through pictures as an adult mitten crab, sex still unconfirmed. This crab apparently was not the waterman’s first catch, as the species was reportedly observed in the same area at least weekly for the three weeks prior to this catch.

Also in 2008, four other mitten crabs were captured in the Hudson River, New York, including one female (20mm on June 3) and three males (16-26mm from June 9 to July 18). All crabs were caught in freshwater near Tivoli, NY, approximately 100 miles inland along the Hudson River by a research scientist, who was studying eel movement on local tributaries. A total of seven mitten crabs have been confirmed for Hudson River to date.

The Chinese Mitten Crab is native to East Asia, and could have negative ecological and economic impacts. Mitten Crabs are already established invaders in Europe and on the West Coast of the United States. We don’t yet know whether the crab has established reproductive populations in the eastern U.S. The crab is listed as Injurious Wildlife under the Federal Lacey Act, which makes it illegal in the United States to import, export, or conduct interstate commerce of Mitten Crabs without a permit.

Life History. The Chinese Mitten Crab occurs in both freshwater and saltwater. Young crabs spend two-five years in freshwater tributaries and can extend many miles upstream of bays and estuaries. Mature male and female crabs migrate downstream to mate and spawn in saltwater estuaries. Chinese Mitten Crabs burrow into banks and levees along estuaries and are able to leave the water to walk around obstacles while migrating.

Please Report Any New Sightings. To determine the status, abundance, and distribution of this species along the eastern U.S., we have established a Mitten Crab Network. The Network began as a partnership among several state, federal, and research organizations, with an initial focus on Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. We have now expanded the Network to include resource managers, commercial fishermen, research organizations, and citizens along the eastern U.S. Please help by reporting any mitten crabs directly to the Network or to your state resource manager.

Identification

• Commonly found in fresh waters of North America, but can occur in saltwater bays and estuaries
• Claws equal in size with white tips and appear furry (with thick mats of hair-like covering on claws)
• If you find a crab, with a carapace length over one inch and no hair on the claws, it is NOT likely to be a Mitten Crab. NOTE: Juveniles under one inch may not have hair on the claws.
• Carapace up to 4 inches wide; light brown to olive green in color
• No swimming legs. This crab has eight sharp-tipped walking legs

If you catch a mitten crab

• Do not throw it back alive!
• Freeze the animal, keep it on ice, or preserve it in rubbing alcohol as a last resort
• Note the precise location and date where the animal was found
• Please take a close-up photo of the animal. Photos can be emailed to SERCMittenCrab AT si.edu for preliminary identification. Include your contact information with the photo
• If you cannot take a photo, contact the Mitten Crab Hotline (443-482-2222)

REMEMBER THE LAW! Never transport a live Mitten Crab across state boundaries

For additional information please visit http://www.serc.si.edu/labs/marine_invasions/ for updated Mitten Crab reports, downloadable pamphlets on the Chinese Mitten Crab Survey Program, and how to distinguish a Mitten Crab from other crabs

Fun With Video

A peek into the world of invasive species-related videos:

• This one is a real gem: Captain PU in "Attack of the Invasive Species" ...in which a grown man wears tights and a cape, and goes off to fight the invasive aquatic plant known as Eurasian water milfoil. In this version of unreality, the milfoil is a guy standing in the water, dressed in business casual accented by an aluminum foil hat and bow tie. Super cheesy but with a fair amount of useful information about aquatic invaders. Bonus points to you if you get flashbacks to the goofy videos you made with your friends back in school.
• Speaking of goofy videos you made with your friends back in school...this one on YouTube is certainly goofy, but watching a teen dressed up as an invasive Aussie rabbit get shot, poisoned, and attacked is laugh-out-loud funny. This other video may be for the same class project - it's really cute and actually has a lot of good information. Excuse me, I need to go buy some peanut M&M's! LOLZ!!!111!!
• The Center for Aquatic and Invasive Species has put together an identification video for the invasive aquatic plant hydrilla. This is a great idea! The video imparts far more information than you could get from just a set of photos, and does it faster than a fact sheet. Here's hoping it is just the first of many.
• Watch this video to learn about Dave Delaney's citizen science project to monitor marine invasive species that live off the coast of North America. Dave's research focuses on crabs: Asian shore crabs, European green crabs, and the Chinese mitten crab. If you are interested in finding out more about the project or perhaps even volunteering, be sure to check out Dave's website.
• Did this question about invasive species in the Great Lakes make it into the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate? It should have, if only because that kid put on a suit with a bow tie to go to the beach. Go Jake!
• Hankering for a hearty meal? Why not try some Kentucky Tuna? Of course by "Kentucky Tuna," I mean smoked bighead carp! It actually looks good.

Turns Out You Really Can Get Crabs From A Toilet Seat

UK residents impacted by the recent floods are now dealing with yet another crisis: Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) crawling out of their toilets.

At first I thought this was a hoax along the lines of the infamous "toilet spider" emails that made the rounds in the late 1990s, but apparently it is real. Water levels have risen so high in the area of Hampton, England that the crabs are able to travel right up the pipes and out into people's homes. This is Local London has the story (along with a rather inappropriate photo of a mitten crab on a plate). The UK's Environment Agency is warning people to, well, keep their toilet seats down.

The crabs aren't just staying in the sewers either - The Richmond and Twickenham Times has this report about a woman who has seen dozens of them running around in her garden over the past week. Chinese mitten crabs were discovered in Europe back in the early 1900s, but until recently their populations in England had remained low. At the very least, this disaster has certainly raised their profile in the minds of homeowners across the UK.

Mitten Mania

The Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) continues to make its mark on the east coast of the USA...just a few days after sightings were reported in both Maryland and Delaware comes news that the crab has been spotted in New York's Hudson River. This looks to be the first confirmed record of the species in New York state.

Meanwhile, The News Journal is reporting that three more of the mitten crabs have been caught in Delaware. The crabber who found them says he's been seeing them for years and throwing them back :-(.

Found Their Mittens - Again!

Just a few days after it was reported that a Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) was discovered off the coast of Maryland in the Chesapeake Bay, a crabber has yet again found one of the crabs, this time in the Delaware Bay. This is the first record of the mitten crab for Delaware. Delaware Online has the full story, including interviews with the crabber's dad and a most excellent quote from a guy in charge at the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control:

"I know almost nothing about them, except what I'm reading now,"

Eesh. Let's hope for Delaware's sake that was taken out of context.

Found Their Mittens

Could Maryland be on the brink of yet another species invasion? WJZ.com is reporting that a Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) was found this week in the Chesapeake Bay. This is at least the second mitten crab found in the area - the first was discovered in August 2006, and as a commenter notes in this older ISW post, someone in the area also had one in their freezer.

This is yet another example of the value of public outreach in managing invasive species issues. Maryland has taken advantage of an easily recognizable identification character, those distinctly furry claws, to put out the word and get everyone to be on the lookout for the Chinese mitten crab. Bonus points to the crabber who noticed the odd crab in his pot - the first sighting of this species was also made by a crabber.

For more about this story, be sure to check out the video at WJZ.com, and this story from the Baltimore Sun.

East Meets West Meets East

The Quebecois have extended a not-so-gracious welcome to their newest invader: the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis). According to this report from the CBC, scientists think the crab, which needs both fresh and salt water to reproduce, is likely to spread through the St. Lawrence River. This species is already quite well-known in California.

Crabby Prison Inmate

According to this article from U.S. Newswire, a "former" fish importer in New York was just sentenced to 3 months in prison and fined more than $3000 for attempting to import 780 pounds of Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis). The boxes of crabs were labeled as fish, but someone tipped off wildlife inspectors to the ruse. Chinese mitten crabs are one of the few species whose import into the U.S. is prohibited under the federal legislation known as the Lacey Act.

Thanks to a member of the ALIENS-L listserver for posting a link to the article.

Gene Whiz

One way to get an up-to-date view of molecular research on invasive species is by using NCBI's Entrez retrieval system. Any new DNA or amino acid sequences are required to be submitted to GenBank, and searching it is a great way to keep up on current work. This April, nucleotide sequences were submitted for many invasives, including tree of heaven (AIlanthus altissima), purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), and the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis). (To limit your search by date, click on the "Limits" tab.)

Yes, New York, there is a Sandy Claws

A former importer of seafood has been charged with illegally importing over a thousand Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) into New York last year, according to this story posted at OnlineMariner.com. The crabs now thrive on the west coast of the U.S., but they have not yet established on the east coast. Though it is illegal to import the crabs for any reason other than scientific research, they have shown up in Chinese markets in Queens, New York, where they fetch a high price.

(Thanks to a member of the ALIENS-L listserver for posting a link to this article)

Crabby

According to this article in The Seattle Times, Washingtonians are worried about the possible migration of the invasive Chinese mitten crab up the west coast of the U.S. This species has already overrun parts of the California coast, and has proven very difficult to manage once any introduction has occurred. This seems to have made people in susceptible areas even more vigilant about preventing further spread.