Invasive crab population keeps booming in Washington

Trappers have caught nearly a quarter million European green crabs in Washington waters so far in 2022.

This year’s record-smashing tally of the invasive species—248,000 caught as of Oct. 31—is more than twice the total caught last year along Washington shorelines.

2021 had seen a massive increase in the unwanted crabs, with 103,000 turning up in traps in the state.

That trend continued in 2022, with Willapa Bay on Washington’s outer coast surpassing Lummi Bay on Puget Sound as a hotspot for the habitat-destroying, shellfish-crunching crabs.

Biologists say the growing haul reflects an increase in trapping efforts as well as booming numbers of crabs. Trapping increased after Gov. Jay Inslee declared a green crab emergency in January and the state Legislature dedicated millions to combating the pinchy invaders.