Green Crabs Arrive on Orcas Island

European green crabs, notorious marine invaders, have been officially spotted for the first time on Orcas Island — thanks to a middle school field trip that turned into a major ecological alert. Students found a strange crab shell, prompting wildlife officials to confirm the presence of a live male green crab in Deer Harbor, likely there for at least three years. This marks a critical expansion beyond San Juan Island, raising alarms about ecosystem disruption and shellfish threats. With El Niño conditions possibly aiding their spread, state agencies are ramping up monitoring and urging public participation in the upcoming Salish Sea Molt Blitz on June 26th to detect and track these sneaky invaders. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/d55a39e9128293b2