Green Crab Project

GREEN CRABS [carcinus maenas] are an invasive species that have been wreaking havoc in New England waters since the 1800s. With few predators, they have an oversized impact on our marine ecosystem and can eat up to TWENTY shellfish a day! They feed on scallops, clams, mussels, wild oysters, juvenile fish and fellow crabs. They also decimate the eelgrass beds that they often call home.

In the spring of 2021, the Nantucket Shellfish Association partnered with the Nantucket Land Council to co-fund a study on the population dynamics of green crabs. We were so excited to move into phase two this year: trapping green crabs! With the NLC, we worked with two local scallopers, Dylan Wallace and Jon Holdgate, to test trapping success in different areas of Nantucket Harbor.

For five weeks, we baited and checked 22 traps throughout the harbor. Once ashore, the crabs were brought to our partner, Toscana, to add to their compost pile. Since green crabs are voracious in their eating habits, they are a nutrient rich addition to the compost pile to create a healthy and robust soil product.

Our hope is to expand on this test project and create a viable green crab fishery here on Nantucket. In addition to compost, they are excellent bait for fishing, namely for tautog. And you may have seen green crabs on some restaurant menus lately— they are a wonderful base for soups, stews, and sauces and during molting seasons, they can be served soft-shell. Stay tuned as we continue to explore the feasibility of green crab projects!

Dylan Wallace

Jon Holdgate