MAINE PUBLIC • October 16, 2023
"Lately we've been catching around 20 to 30 blue crabs in total per week between our 12 traps, which is way more blue crabs than we've caught in the past," said Laura Crane, a research associate for the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. "It's one of the many species that is expanding their range into the Gulf of Maine because conditions are changing, and that the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the rest of the world's oceans. Blue crabs are taking advantage of that," said Jessie Batchelder, a fisheries project manager for the environmental research non-profit Manomet, which also studying blue crabs. Others are studying how blue crabs and other range-expanding species might affect the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Blue crabs are aggressive competitors, said marine scientist Helen Cheng. She recalls watching a blue crab voraciously consume a baby lobster in an experiment tank. "If that’s a snapshot of what we may end up seeing in the Gulf of Maine, that’s very concerning, especially if they can target smaller lobsters," said Cheng, a graduate fellow for the Wells Reserve.