Green crabs arrived in California prior to 1990. 1997) Economic Importance for Humans: Positive. In North America and South Africa, it bears the name Green crab or European green crab. The Green crab (Carcinus maenas) is known by different names around the world. THANH THAI - GREEN CRAB CAFE. The potential range of green crabs includes southeast Alaska (Behrens Behrens-Yamada 2001, Carlton 2003). The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is a small shore crab whose native distribution is in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea, ranging along coasts from northern Africa toNorway and Iceland.The crab is an effective predator, adept at opening bivalve shells, and has been blamed for harming the soft shell clam industry on the U.S. East Coast. The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is native to several European coastal areas. IPSWICH CHRONICLE (MASS): On the Menu: Green Crab. MEMBER PUBLICATIONS. May 20, 2015: Green Crab Task Force Report Available (PDF file, 138 pages, 3.8 MB) Background. BLOGS. Certainly, it is the goal of WSG Crab Team and management to protect shorelines from the damage this crab has done in … The green crab serves no basic benefit to humans. On the west coast, the European green crab has already cost about $44 million in damages (Licking 1999). Scientists suggest that green crabs (Carcinus maenas), originally from Europe, reached U.S. shores in the mid-1800s after riding across the Atlantic in the ballast water on ships....read more about the crab's background in Maine here The green crab problem has gradually worsened in northern waters. It's common names include the Shore crab, Green Shore crab, Green crab, European Shore crab etc. The green crab is known as a very vicious carnivore that will consume anything it can get its claws on. In the British Isles, it is generally referred to simply as the Shore crab. Green crabs are believed to have caused the collapse of the soft-shell clam industry in New England. April 25, 2018 Finding a few isolated pockets of invasive European green crab in Washington's Salish Sea over the past two years indicates the early stages of a possible range expansion. Green Crabs in Maine News. Their digging habits also have slowed eelgrass restoration efforts. In the British Isles, it is generally referred to as the shore crab, or green shore crab.In North America and South Africa, it bears the name green crab or European green crab.In Australia and New Zealand, it is referred to as either the European green crab or European shore crab. European Green Crab may pose a serious threat to estuarine and marine ecosystems as they are voracious predators feeding on a variety of intertidal animals, including oysters, mussels, clams and juvenile crabs. In North America and South Africa, it bears the name Green crab or European green crab. The carapace has a granular texture and is usually mottled dark green or brown with white to yellowish spots. The European green crab is origianlly from Western Europe and Africa and first appeared along the Western U.S. in 1989, likley hitchhiking its way across the ocean in the ballast water of cargo ships and boats. Today, green crabs are plentiful along the eastern coast of the United States from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to Delaware. Species Affected The European green crab is a concern to Alaska because it may have negative impacts on local commercial, personal use and subsistence fisheries and cause habitat disturbance. This species changes the balance between species in the ecosystems and impacts their diversity. Invasive European Green Crab . Description. It has spread across the globe by hitching rides on the hulls of ships and is now found on every continent except for Antarctica. Green crabs have also been recorded in Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Hawaii. In Kachemak Bay, the European green crab would be capable of eating juvenile clams and oysters, among others. Historically, cold winters limited the population.