Wildlife officials in Oregon have captured a live invasive crab more than 100 miles from where the species had previously been spotted, raising fears that it is expanding into new territories.
What happened?
The Chinese mitten crab, a species native to China and South Korea, was spotted in the Willamette River in Oregon in mid-November, CBS News reported.
Its distinctive hairy claws, which resemble mittens, helped wildlife authorities identify the invasive species and swiftly seize it.
Found in the shallow waters of the Oregon River, about 150 miles from where another Chinese mitten crab had been spotted earlier this year, this crab sighting is “concerning,” as wildlife officials described.
Its presence is a grave warning that there may be more invasive crabs crawling throughout the state.
The Chinese mitten crab has proven elusive. Even in captivity, it has escaped confinement by scaling 13-foot-high to 18-foot-high walls, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Their ability to walk on land grants the species greater mobility, allowing them to leave waterways and cross into new territories.
Why are invasive species concerning?
Invasive wildlife species threaten native ecosystems because they often enter habitats with few natural predators. This allows the invasive species to outcompete native creatures for food, nutrients, and resources, which contributes to their aggressive growth.
The Chinese mitten crab, in particular, disrupts ecosystems by feeding aggressively on native wildlife found in local waters, including aquatic plants, worms, clams, insect larvae, and fish eggs.
This invasive crab species also contributes to the erosion of riverbanks and flood-control systems like dams and levees, as they dig deep burrows into these structures, which weakens and damages infrastructure.
Protecting native habitats against invasive species like the Chinese mitten crab supports local wildlife by limiting disease spread, creating healthier ecosystems for pollinators — which support the global food supply — and conserving natural resources.
What’s being done about invasive species?
According to CBS News, wildlife officials plan to set up artificial habitats to lure any lingering live invasive crabs from the local waterways. They also plan to monitor the rivers by collecting water samples and testing for signs of the invasive crab species.
Removing invasive species from waterways can be more challenging than eradicating invasive species from the land, as invasive aquatic species can travel through connected waterways and tend to reproduce rapidly.
Despite these difficulties, however, scientists and conservation groups are finding ways to successfully remove invasive species from the water.
A water treatment facility in Texas has employed a copper ion generator in its systems, which has helped control and eliminate zebra mussels in the facility’s intake system.
In Maryland, wildlife authorities captured more than 18,000 pounds of invasive fish and donated them to local food banks.
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