Green crab

The green crab (Carcinus maenas), also known as the European green crab, is native to the coastal regions of Europe and arrived in North America around 1800. It appeared in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1994 and was observed in Kouchibouguac National Park for the first time in 2011.

In Canada, the green crab is considered an invasive alien species. It generally feeds on molluscs and crustaceans, making it a major competitor of our native species, such as the rock crab (Cancer irroratus).

This exotic species has a considerable impact on our estuarine ecosystems. For example, it affects softshell clam populations and eelgrass, an aquatic plant that grows in estuaries and provides an important habitat for a number of mollusc, crustacean and fish species. This is one of the reasons why we have observed a decrease in biodiversity everywhere it is found.

In order to put measures in place to control the species and conserve our estuaries for the future, the park’s resource conservation team, in collaboration with Dr Gilles Miron of the University of Moncton, are conducting a two-year study on the population dynamics and abundance of green crab in the estuaries of Kouchibouguac National Park.