Educating Children about Invasive Crabs in Long Island Sound

The Asian shore crab (Hemigrapsus sanguineus) has become a commonly known invasive species along the coast of Connecticut. An “invasive species” is any organism that colonizes an area that is not in its native range.

It is speculated that the Asian shore crab first came to the U.S. in the ballast water of cargo ships docking in New Jersey in 1988. In just over 25 years, the distribution now ranges from Maine to North Carolina. The shore crab has no natural predators, which allows for the population to grow and spread exponentially. This growth causes it to compete with other important species to us, such as: the blue crab, green crab, and lobster. While these other crustaceans have natural predators, the Asian shore crab does not. Thus, it has the potential to overwhelm and decrease the other crustacean populations, which we rely heavily upon. It is incredibly important to understand the negative impacts of invasive species such as the Asian shore crab and even more important to teach our youth.

Cedar Island Marina has instituted a summer camp for children between the ages of 9 – 15. These children will have the opportunity to work side-by-side with real marine biologists doing fieldwork. One major focus of this camp will be to educate children about the fragility of our local marine environment and to show them how invasive species can be so damaging.

They will quickly realize that other crab species that were once common, such as: the green crab, Atlantic marsh fiddler crab, and purple marsh crab, have decreased in abundance. It is incredibly important to educate younger generations on invasive species and their effect on various habitats because they will soon be the “stewards” of our local environment.

By: Beth Patrizzi and Kris Shapiro, Cedar Island Marina Research Laboratory

Find out more about our research lab at: 

http://www.cedarislandmarina.com/marine-biology/marine-life/marine-research-laboratory/

Find out more about our summer camp at:

http://www.cedarislandmarina.com/marine-biology-research-summer-camp-2014-clinton-madison-killingwor...