{"id":19328,"date":"2024-03-26T10:47:19","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T14:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=19328"},"modified":"2024-08-06T13:47:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T17:47:10","slug":"crab-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/crab-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Deal with that Big Blue Crab on the Beach?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

There has been a flurry of recent reports of blue land crabs in the Carolinas, which is north of the species\u2019 expected range. North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) biologists are requesting public assistance to help them learn more about where the species is spreading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visitors from the South<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The blue land crab lives along the Atlantic coast from Brazil to South Florida, but increasingly has appeared in the Carolinas. Researchers do not yet know the extent of the crab\u2019s presence in the region nor its impact on the environment and other wildlife. Whether the species arrived through natural expansion of its range or human-mediated sources also is not clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September 2022, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) created a public hotline to report sightings of the crab. This year, NCDMF has followed suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public Sightings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From September to November 2022, the SCDNR received 100 reports and confirmed 66 sightings of the blue land crabs from Savannah to Myrtle Beach, but mostly in the Charleston area. Reported sightings came from a range of habitats: estuaries, forests, beaches, roads, ditches, lawns \u2014 even home garages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although occasional sightings of the crab began in South Carolina in 2008, the first confirmed blue land crab sighting in North Carolina occurred just this past summer. In July, a blue land crab was spotted in Bogue Sound near Emerald Isle. Since then, sightings also have occurred in nearby Morehead City and areas in Carteret County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why It Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SCDNR and NCDMF are working together to figure out if these foreign crabs are displacing other species of crab or damaging natural habitats. Blue land crabs can create 6-foot-deep burrows, destabilizing sediment and destroying crops, gardens, lawns, parks, golf courses, and more. After heavy rain, the crabs are more likely to leave their underground burrows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials warn that blue land crabs are difficult to catch. In addition to their speed at retreating into their burrows, the crabs each have a large claw, similar to a fiddler crab\u2019s, that they can use to defend themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biologists encourage people to take photos and report any sightings here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

lead image credit: USFWS\/Vieques National Wildlife Refuge.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sara Mirabilio<\/b> co-curates North Carolina Sea Grant\u2019s award-winning <\/span>Hook, Line & Science <\/span><\/i>series, which originally published an earlier version of this story that she adapted from a news release from NCDEQ.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n

More from Spring 2024<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n \n \n\n
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\n "image:\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n \n

Mariner’s Menu: Spring\u2019s Savory Dishes<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

Spring\u2019s Savory Dishes: Crab and Shrimp Salad, Fresh Deviled Clams, Broiled Soft Crabs With Basil-butter Sauce <\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n \n\n

\n
\n "mountains\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n \n

Ice to Ocean<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

As glaciers melt and seas rise, new findings about ground elevations at the coast confirm that the battle between land and sea has become increasingly one-sided \u2014 and that an ecological transformation of coastal NC has begun.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n \n\n

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\n "image:\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n \n

Sunny with a Chance of Floods<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

When people see photos of Carolina Beach\u2019s flooded Canal Drive, they might assume those waters lapping against the doorways of a residential neighborhood mean the area had just experienced a severe storm or hurricane. Locals know, however, it is just as likely the deluge was not related to a storm at all but rather an example of \u201cnuisance\u201d flooding.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n See all in current issue<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new species has arrived in North Carolina \u2014 and you might even find one in your garage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":19402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-immersive.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"Sara Mirabilio","ncst_show_custom_author":true,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"backgroundColor\":\"custombg_one\",\"displayCategoryID\":1408,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"subtitle\":\"A new species has arrived in North Carolina \u2014 and you might even find one in your garage.\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[632,599,1408],"tags":[],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[1411],"class_list":["post-19328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-632","category-critters","category-spring-2024"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":1408,"name":"Spring 2024","slug":"spring-2024","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1409,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":632,"count":15,"filter":"raw"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s the Deal with that Big Blue Crab on the Beach? - Coastwatch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/crab-watch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What\u2019s the Deal with that Big Blue Crab on the Beach? - Coastwatch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A new species has arrived in North Carolina \u2014 and you might even find one in your garage.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/crab-watch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Coastwatch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-26T14:47:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-06T17:47:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/03\/Land-Crab-USFWSVieques-National-Wildlife-Refuge-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1212\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dave Shaw\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dave Shaw\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/crab-watch\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/crab-watch\/\",\"name\":\"What\u2019s the Deal with that Big Blue Crab on the Beach? - Coastwatch\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/crab-watch\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/crab-watch\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/03\/Land-Crab-USFWSVieques-National-Wildlife-Refuge-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-26T14:47:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-06T17:47:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#\/schema\/person\/9462183c95cb42509aed4d3346e43fe1\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/crab-watch\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/crab-watch\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/crab-watch\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/03\/Land-Crab-USFWSVieques-National-Wildlife-Refuge-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/03\/Land-Crab-USFWSVieques-National-Wildlife-Refuge-1.jpg\",\"width\":1212,\"height\":620,\"caption\":\"Blue land crab emerging from its hole. 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