Hype for the Future 58C: The Complexities between Maine 🇺🇸 and New Brunswick 🇨🇦

https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2025/12/28/hype-for-the-future-58c-the-complexities-between-maine-and-new-brunswick/

#BlueCrabs on the rise in #Maine waters

Growing population raises questions about impacts, good and bad

By Clarke Canfield
Posted 2023-12-01

Excerpt: "In the wild, blue crabs are eaten by large fish, some fish-eating birds, and sea turtles, according to NOAA Fisheries. But it’s what crabs themselves eat that is raising questions in the #GulfOfMaine.

"Blue crabs are major predators of ocean-bottom communities and will eat almost anything, including clams, oysters, mussels, small crustaceans, freshly dead fish, and plants. They’ll also eat smaller and soft-shelled blue crabs.

"In Maine, one question is whether blue crabs pose a threat to juvenile lobsters that are abundant and serve as the foundation of Maine’s lobster fishery. 'Blue crabs are one of the most aggressive crab species and pose predatory and habitat threats to lobsters,' said Aaron Whitman, a senior research associate at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland.

"Conversely, will they eat invasive #GreenCrabs that feast on juvenile clams and have decimated the clam population in some parts of Maine. Blue crabs have been credited with keeping the green crab population in check in the Chesapeake Bay."

Read more:
https://www.islandinstitute.org/working-waterfront/blue-crabs-on-the-rise-in-maine-waters/

#SolarPunkSunday #InvasiveSpecies #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeAdaptation

Invasive #GreenCrabs: Implications & How to Utilize Them

by Mary Parks, June 15, 2023

"Green crabs were first spotted in Casco Bay in the early 1900s after moving northward from Massachusetts waters where they were introduced a century before. In recent years, green crabs have become Maine’s most common crab species, wreaking havoc on some of the state’s most valuable fisheries and vulnerable ecosystems. Cold winters that historically kept green crab populations in check are no longer common and as #ClimateChange continues to warm the #GulfOfMaine, green crab populations could increase. This invasive species has singlehandedly destroyed the soft-shell clam fishery (a single green crab can eat up to 40 clams in a day), compete with local crabs and lobster for food, and destroy important eelgrass habitats.

"Many have launched diversified efforts to monitor green crabs, control their populations, prevent predation of clams, and spread awareness of their invasive impact.

"Wolfe’s Neck Center has been utilizing green crabs as #compost for years, collecting them from coastal waters to utilize as a nutrient source and educating visitors on the impact of green crabs. Last year alone, Wolfe’s Neck Center’s farm team composted 12,000 pounds (about twice the weight of an elephant) of green crabs.

"In this post, we will go over a basic recipe for cooking with green crabs and tips for using the remaining shells as compost in your garden, so you can be part of the solution at home!"

Learn more:
https://www.wolfesneck.org/green-crabs-an-invasive-species/

#SolarPunkSunday #Composting #GreenCrabRecipes #invasivespecies #ClimateChangeAdaptation #WolfesNeck #Maine