If you believe you have found a European green crab in Washington waters please follow these steps to notify us:

1. Reference our webpage on how to identify European green crabs and distinguish them from native species. Washington has many native species that are similar in color and size to this species, and are often mistaken for European green crab. Careful attention is required.

2. Take several pictures from different angles and distances to aid in confirming the identification. Be sure to place a common object or indicator of scale in the photo, so we can tell how large the crab is. Pictures are necessary and sufficient for verifying the crab’s identity.

3. Leave any live crabs in place. It is illegal to possess a green crab in the State of Washington without a special permit. This sounds counter intuitive, but is designed to protect native crabs from cases of mistaken identity, which is common. Don’t worry, we will follow up quickly if it is a European green crab

4. Email your photos and detailed location information, including geographic coordinates if you have them, to crabteam@uw.edu. We will follow up to confirm species identity and reporting. 

5. Green crab molts (NOT live crabs) may be collected and kept to help in identification.

Thanks for helping protect Washington’s shorelines!

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has alternative pathways for reporting green crab sightings that can be used in addition to or instead of Washington Sea Grant’s pathways. Learn more about reporting through the Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

Want more to do? Consider joining Molt Search!

Molt Search participants are typically beach walkers who want to contribute to green crab early detection on a flexible, low-commitment schedule.