Local
Washington’s green crab catch tops 2 million as warm waters raise concern
Washington crews and volunteers captured more than 2 million invasive European green crabs from July 2025 through June 2026 — more than in all prior years combined since the species was first documented in the state. Researchers warn that warm conditions linked to El Niño could fuel another increase this winter.
More than 2 million invasive European green crabs were captured along Washington’s shores between July 2025 and June 2026, more than double the previous year’s catch and a record for the state.
The total also exceeds the number caught in every earlier year since the crabs were first documented in Washington in 1998, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s annual report on its emergency response. Researchers caution that trapping numbers offer only a partial indication of the population, which remains unknown.
Willapa Bay accounted for the vast majority of the catch, with 1.9 million crabs trapped there. Crews also caught about 192,000 in Grays Harbor and 18,000 in North Puget Sound.
Warmer water can help young green crabs thrive. Willapa Bay had higher-than-usual temperatures last winter, and researchers expect a strong El Niño to warm Pacific waters further in the coming months. State aquatic invasive species researcher Brian Turner said managers are watching for young crabs that may be too small to catch in traps.
“We expect that we will see an increase in green crab numbers just because, historically, that’s what we’ve seen during El Niño years,” Turner said.
The crabs threaten native species and coastal industries. They prey on juvenile Dungeness crabs, juvenile salmon and shellfish such as oysters, mussels and clams. Dungeness crab supports Washington’s most valuable commercial fishery, while the smaller green crabs are less desirable as seafood.
Former Gov. Jay Inslee declared an emergency over the invasion in 2022. State and federal agencies spent at least $8 million on control efforts during the 2025-26 fiscal year, with about 500 professionals and volunteers setting and checking traps, said Washington Sea Grant researcher Emily Grason.
Efforts to develop a market for green crab meat or shells have had little success. The crabs are about 60% shell, and researchers have not found a cost-effective way to separate the meat. Most of the catch is turned into compost.
Grason said eradication is not a near-term prospect, but slowing the invasion and protecting vulnerable resources remain worthwhile goals. The scale of the latest catch, she said, shows the invasion is still underway.