ALERT!
Forty-four
Chinese mitten crab and counting found
in the mid-atlantic.
Live Chinese Mitten Crabs (Eriocheir sinensis)
have been found in Chesapeake Bay (2005-2007), Delaware Bay
(2007), Hudson River (2007-2009), and New Jersey (2008 - 2009).
To date, there have been 44 crabs documented and confirmed in
the eastern United States, 29 of those from the Hudson River
between Haverstraw Bay and Catskill Creek.
Juvenile
and male and female adults have been found in New York.
BE
ON THE ALERT!
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They
have not been found in New England waters yet,
BUT people need to know
- how
to identify the Chinese mitten crab, and
- what
to do if you think you have found one
The
Chinese mitten crab (Eriochier sinensis) is native
to East Asia where it is valued as food. It spends most of its
life in fresh water and migrates to the sea to reproduce. It
is the only crab in fresh water and is characterized by the
fuzz on its claws.
IDENTIFICATION
• Only crab in fresh waters of North America
• Claws equal in size with white tips and fuzzy
• If you find a crab without fuzzyclaws, it is NOT likely
to be a Mitten Crab
• Carapace up to 4 inches wide; light brown to olive green
in color
• No swimming legs. This crab has eight sharp-tipped walking
legs
For
more information, check out SSCW's Chinese
mitten crab ID Card.
Please
be on alert for Mitten Crabs in bays and estuaries of the Atlantic
coast.
To date, people have found crabs in crab pots and washed up
on the shore.
REPORTING a Mitten Crab,
please:
• Do not throw it back alive!
• Freeze the animal, keep it on ice, or preserve it in
rubbing alcohol as a last resort
• Note the precise location and date where the animal
was found
• Please take a close up photo of the animal. Photos can
be emailed to hitchhikers@mit.edu or SERCMittenCrab@si.edu for
preliminary identification.
Include your contact information with the photo.
• Contact the Mitten Crab hotline at SERCMittenCrab@si.edu
or 443-482-2222.
REMEMBER THE LAW! Never transport
a live Mitten crab across state boundaries.
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For more information,
Check
out the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service National Management Plan to find
how California is dealing with this invasive and learn how they
have been found coming into into the U.S.
Read
the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Chinese mitten crabs reports:
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