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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Earlier this week in Westcott Bay, San Juan Island, a team of volunteer monitors caught an invasive green crab, marking the first confirmation of this global invader in Washington's inland waters.

The volunteers are part of Washington Sea Grant's Crab Team, an early detection and monitoring program to look for European green crab (Carcinus maenas) and collect information on local marine life. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for controlling aquatic invasive animals and is working closely with University of Washington-based Washington Sea Grant to determine next steps for limiting further spread of the crab.

Until now, green crab populations in Washington have been limited to Pacific coastal estuaries. However, the 2012 discovery of invasive crabs in Canadian waters across the Strait of Juan de Fuca prompted the state's wildlife department to invest in Salish Sea monitoring and early detection.

This week's sighting was confirmed by green crab experts P. Sean McDonald of the UW and Sylvia Yamada of Oregon State University. A single, large, 3-inch adult male crab was captured during the Crab Team's regular monitoring activity. The agencies are coordinating a response to the sighting, working with scientists at the UW's Friday Harbor Laboratories.

"Although unexpected and unwelcome, this finding is a perfect example of how volunteers can spur positive environmental action, and it shows that the monitoring program is working as it was designed," said Jeff Adams, Washington Sea Grant marine ecologist and project manager.

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