Beal calls invasive Asian shore crabs a ‘ticking time bomb’
Brian Beal, professor of marine ecology at the University of Maine Machias, told the Bangor Daily News that invasive Asian shore crabs are probably a “ticking time bomb.” Beal was interviewed after Acadia National Park officials said a molted shell of an Asian shore crab was found Sept. 19 along the shore near Schoodic Point. In 2013, UMM students found live Asian shore crabs on Great Wass Island in Beals. “We haven’t found any Asian shore crab since 2013, and we’re out there all the time looking,” Beal said, adding that if Asian shore crab numbers increase, they likely would hurt populations of marine worms, mussels, clams and other species. “They are another threat sitting out there.” The Associated Press also reported on the crab shell discovery, citing the BDN article. San Francisco Chronicle, The Times Record and Houston Chronicle carried the AP report.