The European Green Crab is one of the world’s 10 most unwanted species.
This aggressive invasive crab competes for prey and has the potential to upset the overall balance of our local marine ecosystem. European Green Crabs feed on a variety of intertidal animals, including oysters, mussels, clams, small fish, and juvenile crabs. They’ve also been known to disrupt eelgrass beds (important habitat for young salmon) and can destroy shellfish habitat.
We’re concerned that they may be spreading into Howe Sound.
Howe Sound (Átl’ka7tsem) and the Squamish River Estuary (Skwelwil’em) are home to an abundance of species, including native shore crabs, juvenile salmon, seabirds, shellfish, rare glass sponge reefs, endangered rockfish, and much more. A European Green Crab infestation could significantly threaten the unique marine wildlife in this area.
European Green Crabs have recently been found in Boundary Bay (just south of Vancouver) and on Salt Spring Island (near the entrance of Howe Sound). They have a long early life (larval stage) of 50 to 80 days, when they drift in the ocean current before settling to the bottom. The adult green crab is also very hardy and can survive out of the water for over 5 days, hiding in fishing gear and equipment or, at the bottom of crates, buckets and boats.
Volunteering with Crab Team
We need to know if this invasive crab has found its way to Howe Sound. Last year, in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), we launched a European Green Crab monitoring program – Crab Team. Check out the results from 2021 and 2022.
The 2022 sampling season has now been completed, and we’ll be recruiting volunteers for 2023 Crab Teams early next year – follow us on social media to be the first to know when applications open!
Sampling involves setting multiple crab traps at pre-determined sites, and then returning 24 hours later to collect & record data. Volunteers should be comfortable carrying a small amount of gear over uneven terrain, occasionally working in imperfect weather conditions, walking in the mud, and handling all sorts of cool estuary critters. All materials, training, and assistance at the sites will be provided by our team – no previous experience in ecological monitoring or marine biology required.
This is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience in the field, have fun outdoors in the mud, and help to protect Howe Sound’s biodiversity.
We will assemble 4 Crab Teams, each with 3 volunteers, to conduct sampling sets once a month per team. These sets will be on 2 consecutive dates, scheduled according to low tide times. Once you fill out the form below indicating you’re interested in volunteering, you will be sent a poll with all possible sampling dates – these include weekdays, weekends, mornings, and afternoons. We ask that volunteers commit to being available for one set a month from April-September.
Prior to sampling, we will also meet online for training and introductions (about 2.5h via Zoom) – in March, but exact date is TBD, depending on volunteer availability.
In accordance with our Covid-19 protocols, we ask that volunteers:
- are vaccinated, in compliance with our partners’ vaccination policies
- drive by themselves to / from sites
- maintain +2m distance from other participants and SSISC staff
- wear a mask
- sanitize their hands before / after the sampling
- do not attend if they have any symptoms
These protocols may change as orders from the Public Health Officer change throughout the summer. If you have any questions about these requirements, please email us at crabteam@ssisc.ca
Have we ‘pinched’ your interest?
*Applications are now closed for 2022 Crab Teams*
Check back on this page in spring of 2023, or follow us on social media for updates!
Questions?
Check out the FAQ below or email crabteam@ssisc.ca
- Where is the sampling being done and how do I get there?
Our sites will all be near Squamish. You can arrive there by walking, driving, biking, or other transport. Due to our Covid-19 protocols, we do ask that there is no carpooling with people outside of your immediate household.
- I am only available on the weekends. Can I still participate?
Yes! We have sampling set dates available on weekends. - I may not be available every month the summer (July and August, for example). Can I still participate?
We have some flexibility in the trap monitoring schedule, and you will know the trapping dates well ahead of time. However, if you are planning on being away for several weeks or months on end, this may not be the volunteer project for you. - What’s the expected time commitment like?
• One 2.5-hour training & orientation session (done online in March, exact date TBD)
• 2-3 hours during the daytime on two consecutive days each month. For example, 2-3 hours on a Monday morning and then 2-3 hours on next day (Tuesday morning).
• The exact time of day may be different each month, based on the tides, but there is some flexibility in the schedule. We will send you a full schedule of potential dates where you can fill in your unique availability.
- I don’t have a background in biology. Can I still participate?
Yes! All you need is an interest in the environment and the willingness to learn. We will provide all the training and resources you will need! - Do I have to provide my own tools or supplies?
No! We recommend that you dress for the weather and wear comfortable clothing you don’t mind getting a bit wet or muddy, but otherwise we will provide you will all the tools and supplies you will need. - What happens if I catch a Green Crab? Can I eat it?
Should we catch any European Green Crabs, they will be humanely stored and transferred to a SSISC staff member, and then a DFO representative. Any native species caught in the traps will be returned to the water. Volunteers are not permitted to keep specimens of any kind from the traps.
More questions? Email us at crabteam@ssisc.ca
Learn more about European Green Crab and its impacts:
- European Green Crab species profile page from Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- European Green Crab species profile page from Sea to Sky Invasives Species Council
- Impacts of European green crab in British Columbia webinar via ISCBC
- The Squamish Community Foundation’s blog post about SSISC’s EGC program
- Report a possible sighting of European Green Crab
2022 Summary
In 2022, we continued with our second year of the European Green Crab Monitoring Program in Howe Sound. We expanded our program by adding another Crab Team and a new site – the Mamquam Blind Channel. Our 12 volunteers sampled at the Mamquam Blind Channel, Cattermole Slough, Squamish Estuary, and Furry Creek once a month at from April-September. They caught all sorts of neat creatures, including Graceful Crabs, Dungeness Crabs, Flat Fish, Hermit Crabs, Gunnels, and lots of Sculpins. You can read more updates from our 2022 season on our blog.
We’re pleased that in our second year of monitoring, in 2022, we found no evidence of European Green Crab in Howe Sound.
2021 Summary
In 2021, we launched our first year of the European Green Crab Monitoring Program in Howe Sound. We recruited 9 local volunteers as ‘community scientists’ to help us survey for European Green Crab in Howe Sound. This involved setting crab traps at 1 site in Furry Creek and 2 sites around the Squamish Estuary, and then returning 24 hours later to collect & record data. Volunteers sampled consistently once a month at these sites from May-September, catching (and releasing) lots of native fish and crabs.
We’re happy to announce that, in 2021, we found no evidence of European Green Crab in Howe Sound.
Thank-you to our supporters!
We’d like to extend a huge thank-you to our committed volunteers and funders from 2021 (the Squamish Community Foundation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and TD Friends of the Environment) and 2022 (Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Squamish Lillooet Regional District) – we couldn’t have done it without all of you!
Support SSISC
We’re still working to secure long term funding for our EGC Monitoring Program, in 2023 and beyond. If you’re able to contribute to our hands-on learning experiences like the European Green Crab monitoring program (anything helps!), you can donate here.
Have we ‘pinched’ your interest? Here’s some useful links:
- Learn more about Crab Team and our monitoring efforts
- European Green Crab species profile page from Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- European Green Crab species profile page from Sea to Sky Invasives Species Council
- Impacts of European green crab in British Columbia webinar via ISCBC
- The Squamish Community Foundation’s blog post about SSISC’s EGC program