One invasive species that has benefited from recent climate changes is the infamous green crab, according to OSU biologist John Chapman. The European Green Crab, already blamed for wiping out the soft-shell clam industry on the U.S. East Coast in the early 1900s, was first detected on the West Coast in 1989 in San Francisco Bay. Earlier this year it was discovered in Willapa Bay - to date more than 300 have been found in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. It poses a threat to clam, Dungeness crab and possibly even oyster populations.
Biological invasions occur when a plant or animal finds itself in a new, favorable environment.
Barring the presence of other competitors, predators or diseases, the species can rapidly expand their habitat, crowding out and damaging native species. The Northwest is already under siege by so-called invasive species such as green crab and spartina. Chapman presented his research at the recent Coast Conference, sponsored by the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition. Once a new species is introduced, whether it is the estuary invader spartina or the voracious green crab , it can be difficult getting them out. The increase in biological invasions has been spurned on by international trade, which can transport species from one side of the globe to the other.