OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency order Wednesday directing the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to implement emergency measures to eradicate the European green crab, an invasive species threatening hatchery operations, native fish and shellfish.
The Lummi Nation previously declared a disaster after more than 70,000 crabs were removed from the Lummi Sea Pond over the course of a few months. In 2020, there were only 2,670 invasive green crabs identified to be living in the pond.
The Tribe cultivates shellfish and juvenile salmon in the pond. European green crabs pose a threat to smaller shellfish and can consume 40 half-inch clams a day as well as other crabs their own size, including juvenile dungeness crabs according to the WDFW.
The crabs are also known to destroy critical habitats like eelgrass beds and estuary marshes. The crabs could also negatively impact salmon and Southern Resident killer whale recovery, according to the WDFW.
The crabs have also been identified in outer coastal areas, including Makah Bay, Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.
Inslee's emergency order directs the WDFW to implement emergency measures to eradicate the crab and to keep the crab from becoming permanently established in the state. Inslee encouraged the legislature to approve emergency funding for the WDFW as soon as possible.
The department requested additional funding and an emergency proclamation in December 2021 to help curb the exponential increase in the invasive crab population. Department leaders said the $2.3 million previously earmarked in the state's budget for green crab management was not enough.
WDFW Director Kelly Susewind asked for over $8 million in additional funding to eradicate the species.
In his letter to the governor, Susewind said if the green crab's population expands beyond the department's ability to stop them from becoming established in the Salish Sea, the costs of control, mitigation and loss of commercial and recreational fishing resources may rise to hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Department of Ecology, the Department of Natural Resources and the State Parks and Recreation Commission were directed to identify European green crab management as a high priority on their respectively owned aquatic lands and to facilitate the implementation of emergency eradication measures.