Claws for Concern: The European Green Crab Invasion of Padilla Bay

This talk is one of three graduate student presentations (~15 minutes each) to be delivered during this week's speaker series. 

In this talk, I’ll discuss the threat posed by the European green crab (Carcinus maenas) to coastal ecosystems, focusing on eelgrass estuaries in the Salish Sea. Known for their voracious appetites and extreme aggression, green crabs are one of the most destructive invasive species, capable of drastically altering habitats like eelgrass beds—vital for carbon storage, sediment stabilization, and marine biodiversity.

The Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, home to one of the largest eelgrass beds in North America, is at risk from an early-stage green crab invasion. In collaboration with the Padilla Bay team, my research investigates how climate change is amplifying the vulnerability of these habitats to invasive species and the resulting disruption to eelgrass survival and benthic invertebrate communities. Through field surveys and quarantine lab experiments, we aim to understand the broader impacts of green crabs on these critical ecosystems and inform more effective conservation strategies.

Special thanks to Dr. Brian Bingham for supporting this work.