Webinar highlights efforts to document, defend against invasive crab

Webinar highlights efforts to document, defend against invasive crab

Tammy Davis, invasive species coordinator with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, will lead a free webinar on the invasive European green crab, including its distribution, threats to Alaska's nearshore environments and how Alaska partners are addressing the invasion.

The webinar is hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.

Coastal Alaska communities and natural resource agencies have been involved in early detection monitoring for marine invasive species since the early 2000s. In 2022, the invasive European green crab was first detected in Tamgas Harbor in the Annette Islands Reserve. Invasive green crabs are aggressive, tolerate a wide spectrum of environmental conditions and have a high rate of reproduction, making them successful invaders.

As ecosystem engineers, they transform their environment to meet their needs and disrupt the balance of the system in the process, according to Davis.

The Zoom webinar is scheduled for noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Register using the online form or visit https://bit.ly/MarineInvasives.

For more information, contact Molly Johansson at 907-786-6313 or [email protected].

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at [email protected] or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to [email protected].

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

102-26