By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – US Sen. Patty Murray was in Sequim Wednesday, joined by US Rep. Derek Kilmer, to talk about the growing problem of European Green Crabs, an invasive species gaining a clawhold in some areas of western Washington.
Sequim Bay and Discovery Bay are, so far, not seeing high numbers of green crabs in the traps that have been set over the last few years, but the numbers are far more concerning in the waters of Cape Flattery, Grays Harbor, Mason County, Willapa Bay and, perhaps worst of all, in the tidewaters of the Lummi Nation Reservation.
Congressman Kilmer and Senator Murray are working together to get more federal funding to help in the battle of finding and eliminating the threat posed by this non-native species. We spoke with Kilmer Wednesday morning.
“This is a real-time issue. A lot of the tribes are very involved in this because they see it as a threat to their treaty rights. A number of the tribes in our region also have active shellfish operations that are enterprises for their tribes. So, this is a real concern, and having the federal government step up and be a partner so that the cost of this is not just born by taxpayers in the state of Washington, is not just born by tribal communities, that is a win for taxpayers and it hopefully helps solve this problem.”
First detected in Washington’s inland waters in 2016, extensive, widespread monitoring projects were launched, including here in Clallam County. But as the problem grows, a broader program is needed to keep them from getting out of hand.
“We’re competing against some other invasive species. Right? There’s a pot of money that says, ‘this money can be used to address invasive species’. We’ve got a really big one here, that has a real economic impact and a real tribal impact of tribal treaty rights. So, we’re trying to elevate this. If anybody watched appropriations hearings on C-Span, one, you have too much time on your hands, but if you did watch them, you saw me asking every administration leader I can ask about this. Because we’re trying to make sure they know this is important and that it’s getting the attention and the resources needed from the federal government.”
Kilmer added that the potential impacts of an out-of-control increase of the crabs could cause to our state are broad, and he gets the urgency.
“You know, this is about the resiliency. Not just of our, sort of, natural ecosystems, it’s about the resiliency of our economy, as well. And if the federal government with some resources can support an effort to prevent the exponential growth of this invasive species, hey, let’s get on it.”
(Photo courtesy of Rep. Derek Kilmer’s office)