Nantucket Green Crab Week
August 5 - 10, 2024 was action packed and full of fun and learning.
Thank you and we will see you in 2025!
Join the Maria Mitchell Association, Nantucket Land Council, and Sustainable Nantucket for our 5th annual Green Crab Week featuring six days of fun and informative programming about the invasive European green crabs! Events will include chances to hunt, capture, recycle, and even eat green crabs! The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is an invasive species that threatens Nantucket’s native species and eelgrass habitats.
See our program offerings below.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
MMA Green Crab Identification Workshop and Derby Information Session
Monday August 5, 4pm
MMA Aquarium, 32 Washington Street
Join Maria Mitchell Aquarium staff to learn how to identify the European green crab (Carcinus maenus), an invasive species that threatens Nantucket's native species and habitats! We will compare these species to local crab species and determine their biological sex. This is a great opportunity to learn about our annual Nantucket Green Crab Derby and all of its events!
MMA Nantucket Green Crab Survey: Bait & Line
Tuesday August 6, 4pm
Madaket Beach Parking Lot
Join Maria Mitchell Aquarium staff on a survey for invasive European green crabs! This survey will be a part of the MMA Nantucket Green Crab Community Science Survey that you can do yourself at any time. In this session, we will be using the bait & line method.
Green Crab Fertilizer Workshop with the Sustainable Nantucket and Nantucket Land and Water Council
DUE TO THE INCLEMENT WEATHER THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED: Stay tuned for a reschedule date. In the meantime, registrants can drop by the Maria Mitchell Association Aquarium at 32 Washington Street on Wednesday, 8/7, between 10am and 12pm to pick up a take-home green crab fertilizer kit! Kits will include green crabs and instructions on how to make your own green crab fertilizer - you will need your own white vinegar.
Mt. Vernon Farm, 168 Hummock Pond Road
In collaboration with the Nantucket Land and Water Council and Sustainable Nantucket, please join us for this free workshop on how to help control the population of the invasive green crab. Green grabs can be turned into an environmentally friendly fertilizer for your garden. Participants should bring completely waterproof boots they're comfortable crushing dead crabs with, as well as a sealable bottle or jar to take home their fertilizer. We will provide crabs, coolers, vinegar and take-home fertilizer instructions.
MMA Nantucket Green Crab Survey: Wading & Hand Net
Friday August 9, 4 - 5pm
Hither Creek Beach Access (Beach Access #52)
Join Maria Mitchell Aquarium staff on a survey for invasive European green crabs! This survey will be a part of the MMA Nantucket Green Crab Citizen Science Survey that you can do yourself at any time! In this session, we will be using the wading with hand net method.
2024 Nantucket Green Crab Derby
Saturday August 10, 10am - 3pm
MMA Aquarium, 32 Washington Street
Help the Maria Mitchell Association and the Nantucket Land and Water Council fight the green crab invasion by participating in the 5th annual Nantucket Green Crab Derby! Participate in a team of up to 4 to help us maintain healthy marine habitats and for a chance to win prizes.
Green Crab (Carcinus maenas)
You can send green crab inquiries to MMA Aquarium Manager, Christina Norman at cnorman@mariamitchell.org
Learn More About Green Crabs:
- Maria Mitchell Association Green Crab Research Page
- Nantucket Green Crab Survey and Identification Guide: We are monitoring the green crab population in Nantucket using a Citizen Science survey, which means you can participate in our research! The goals of the Nantucket Beach Green Crab Survey are to assess where green crabs are most abundant on Nantucket and to remove the invasive species from the environment. While we suspect that European green crabs are present in all of Nantucket’s marine environments, we are particularly interested in how the crabs are using Nantucket’s eelgrass beds.
- Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Regulations (including how to request a Letter of Authorization for collecting Green Crabs)
- Green Crabs Identified as Cause of Soft-Shelled Clam Decline in Maine
- Greencrab.org