Intertidal Green Crab Survey Over a Ten-year Period on a Maine Cobble Beach

Here we report on the long-term monitoring of Carcinus maenas (European Green Crab) populations on an intertidal region of a cobble beach in Maine conducted from 2011 to 2021. The number of Green Crabs collected fluctuated between 129 and 474 individuals per sample event. We collected crabs twice each year, with a total number collected of 389 to 798 per year. In addition, we collected Hemigrapsus sanguineus (Asian Shore Crab) in 2 sample years (2019 and 2021), accounting for only 7 individuals. No compelling relationships between Green Crab densities and sea-water temperature, average carapace width, or year of the collection were revealed.

Automated summary

This article presents the results of a long-term monitoring study conducted from 2011 to 2021 on the populations of Carcinus maenas (European Green Crab) in an intertidal region of a cobble beach in Maine. The number of Green Crabs collected varied between 129 and 474 individuals per sample event. Crabs were collected twice a year, with a total annual collection ranging from 389 to 798 individuals. Additionally, only 7 individuals of Hemigrapsus sanguineus (Asian Shore Crab) were collected in 2019 and 2021. No significant relationships were found between Green Crab densities and sea-water temperature, average carapace width, or collection year.