Clamdiggers seek to remove invasive crabs

The invasive European green crab continues to be a front‑burner issue for the Lubec Shellfish Conservation Committee, which met in a special session on December 13 to discuss an abatement possibility. Green crabs have seriously damaged shellfish beds in other parts of Maine and are threatening to do economic damage locally, including jeopardizing the income of many in Lubec.
"If every digger brings in two five‑gallon buckets," said committee Chair Amanda Lyons, "we get 3,000 pounds." Lyons asked the committee to approve her request that she write a grant proposal to supply every Lubec digger with a special green crab trap. The grant, titled the Maine Shellfish Restoration and Resilience Project, is through the University of Maine and has an application deadline of Thursday, January 16. According to the webpage, it "invites proposals for projects that will improve the management and conservation of clam flats." The request was approved by the three committee members present. Licensed clammers can harvest green crabs under a town license, Lyons said. "You don't have to get your own license for that."
The trap differs from a lobster trap in that the entrance is on the top rather than the side. "The theory is," Lyons said, "crabs are climbers; lobsters don't climb." Once caught, the pests can be used for compost or bait; efforts are under way elsewhere to create commercially viable menu items. "I don't care what happens to them," she said. "I just want them out of there." The challenge then becomes finding a way to make it economically feasible for shellfish harvesters to spend their time collecting a low‑value catch when they can be more profitable bringing soft‑shelled clams to market.
Lyons is working on a proposal to amend the town's shellfish ordinance that is expected to help in this regard. Under the ordinance, which has been in place for many years, harvesters can purchase an annual license at a lower price if they provide six hours of "conservation time." The intent is that their work helps to preserve the resource that they depend upon, and green crab abatement has long been part of that. Under the proposal, the collection of green crabs would count towards the six hours, with a maximum of two of the mandated six. "A five‑gallon bucket equals one hour," she says. An additional two can be earned by participating in the monthly committee meetings. Amendments to town ordinances require voter approval, so this proposal would be presented to voters during a special town meeting.