The crabs are shellfish predators, credited with the decline of the softshell clam fishery in Maine. They also uproot eelgrass beds, which serve as habitat for herring and salmon.
Oceans
Homer tidepoolers get rare glimpse of undersea critters at very low tide
Homer only sees tides this low a few times a year.
Bristol Bay’s sockeye run is already the biggest on record
One scientist says the sockeye runs now returning to Bristol Bay may be the largest in hundreds of years.
New study details mining’s impacts on salmon habitat, even hundreds of miles downstream
The paper’s authors say their analysis points to a need for more comprehensive risk consideration for mines to protect salmon watersheds throughout the Northwest.
Cleanup on remote Southeast Alaska island aids research into marine trash and microplastics
Nearly six tons of marine debris collected from a remote island were offloaded in Ketchikan last week.
Fishing-gear entanglements of whales increased in Alaska, NOAA report says
The vast majority of confirmed whale entanglements involved humpback whales.