The European Green Crab first came to America in 1988. The crab can now be found from ranging from as far north as Nova Scotia and to the southern state of Virginia. Unanswered Questions. It is a voracious omnivore with a wide tolerance for salinity variation, water temperature and habitat types (Klassen & Locke, 2007). It is also known by many different names in different parts of the world. The European Green Crab is devastating for the ecosystem because it eats quahogs and Dungeness crabs. This pesky invader is bad news for the shellfish industry. Since 2016, green crabs have been detected in Padilla Bay, Sequim … The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is a small shore crab whose native distribution is in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea, ranging along coasts from northern Africa toNorway and Iceland. The green crab (Carcinus maenas) is commonly found in tide pools along the East Coast of the United States from Delaware to Nova Scotia, but this species is not native to these areas. The reason it came was because when large ships go out to sea they carry ballast water to stay stable when out in open ocean. Around the early eighteen hundreds the green crab was first seen on the Atlantic coast of North America. The European Green Crab also does not have much competition for food so it can become very abundant. Green crabs arrived in California prior to 1990. Light debris or wrack, such as algae and trash, is often deposited in piles on the beach, as the tide drops. The Green crab is is capable of learning and can improve prey-handling skills while foraging. In North America and South Africa, it bears the name Green crab or European green crab. Home; Home / Crab / European Green Crab. When ships dock they empty and change the ballast water. This makes more it of a threat because it is more versatile and can open shells much easier than other crabs. It’s common names include the Shore crab, Green Shore crab, Green crab, European Shore crab etc. The Green crab (Carcinus maenas) is known by different names around the world. It is actually a widespread invasive species, and listed among the 100 ‘world’s worst alien invasive species’. European Green Crab September 02, 2017. One of the best spots on the beach to look for evidence of green crabs is in the wrack. European green crab were first discovered in Washington in 1998 in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. Since 2016, however, green crabs have been detected in Padilla Bay, Sequim Bay and the Dungeness Spit, and in the San Juan Islands. [Accessed Sep 10, 2014]. The green crab is native to the Atlantic Ocean off of the coast of Europe. This is a good place to look for crab molts. Invasive green crabs: If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em. Green crabs are scavengers, feeding mostly on and around mussel beds. When the ships change water the crab escaped and found a new home on the East Coast.