European Green Crab Confirmed at Northern Whidbey Basin Shorelines

On January 2, 2026, a volunteer with Washington Sea Grant’s Molt Search program discovered a crab molt at Similk Beach, prompting immediate coordination among Washington Sea Grant, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Joint trapping efforts in the northern Whidbey Basin, in Skagit Bay, captured multiple European green crabs; the Swinomish reported 12 captures during those efforts. The finds indicate the invasive species has reached the northern extent of the Whidbey Basin.

Local, tribal and state partners moved quickly to confirm the presence and remove individuals where possible. The coordinated response drew on standing monitoring networks and a Sea Grant Crab Team that supports detection and rapid-action trapping. The detection in Skagit Bay expands the area managers must monitor and increases the urgency for containment efforts along Island County shorelines.

European green crabs can uproot eelgrass and alter substrate in estuaries, degrading habitat for juvenile salmon and for shellfish beds relied on by commercial, recreational and tribal harvesters. For Island County, where shoreline livelihoods, small-scale shellfish growers and cultural harvests intersect, the loss or alteration of eelgrass and shellfish habitat could carry ecological and economic consequences.

State planning and funding are part of the response framework now being deployed locally. The state’s 2025–2031 management plan for European green crab and a recent legislative appropriation support expanded monitoring, rapid response and control measures across affected basins. Those resources are intended to bolster trapping, interagency coordination, and outreach to coastal communities as managers work to limit the species’ spread.

Residents and shoreline users can assist by watching for live crabs or fresh molts and reporting suspected sightings with photographs through Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reporting tools. Timely, photo-documented reports help resource managers prioritize surveys and trapping in shallow estuaries and along beaches.

As partners continue targeted trapping and monitoring in the northern Whidbey Basin, Island County residents should remain alert when visiting beaches and estuaries this winter and spring. The presence of green crabs here underscores how interconnected Puget Sound shorelines are and why cooperative, cross-jurisdictional responses are essential to protect local ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them.