It’s been a while since we’ve had some fun invasive species news here at the BlahStuff…
Exotic crabs in waterway invasion
Mitten crabs were first brought into Europe in ships’ ballast water.
…
They survive in both sea and fresh water, prey on protected native species, such as white-clawed crayfish and salmon eggs, and can destabilise river banks by burrowing into them.
Good find, Matt.
England’s actually had crabs since the 1970s :-). They’re just worried about the likelihood of an impending population explosion like the one that occurred in Europe. Also, the report is simplifying things a bit. There is a tendency to try to attribute an invasion to a single vector (in other words, blame it on the ballast). The reality is that invasive species typically have more than one pathway into a new place. I’m sure ballast is important here but also it is likely people were (are?) importing the crab to breed/eat them.
We’ve got Chinese mitten crabs in the US too, in case you are interested here are links to related stories.
And that’s one of the many reasons we love having you around Jenn.