1 million green crabs removed from WA waters

SEATTLE - A multi-agency effort continues to battle the problem of invasive European Green Crabs in Washington waters.

More than 1 million European green crabs were trapped and removed in 2024, according to new reports from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Most of those crabs were removed from Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor along the southern Washington coast.

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Wildlife officials announced that green crab catch numbers have decreased in areas of the North Puget Sound Region in recent years due to sustained heavy trapping by WDFW, tribes, shellfish growers, and partners.

Below is a map of where the European Green Crabs were detected in 2024 by the Department's Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Division staff. The blue dots represent areas where green crabs were not found, while red indicates the areas that they were found.