When the morning mist cleared on the York River in Maine on the east coast, Mike Masi and his two interns were standing on the dock, picking through a pile of green crabs – a local nuisance that they hoped to turn into a delicacy for the dinner table.
The selection was to identify the invasive European green crabs about to molt their shells, which turn soft and leathery post-molt, a texture highly favored by restaurants. These crabs fetch a higher price, with Masi selling them at $3 each in the market compared to just 8 cents for hard-shell green crabs, providing a service to the marine ecosystem beyond their commercial value.
“Almost everyone hates them, and we are trying to turn them into a high-quality seafood product,” Masi said. His company ‘shell+claw’ is the only one currently engaged in commercial aquaculture of these crabs.
Masi, a 45-year-old former marine science teacher, is part of a growing movement in New England to mitigate the destructive impacts of these crabs by creating new markets. Others are exploring uses of green crabs for pet treats, fish sauce, and even a green crab whiskey introduced in New Hampshire.
Hundreds of years ago, the European green crabs (scientific name: Carcinus maenas) arrived on the East Coast of North America by hitching rides in ship ballast water. Today, their population has grown to tens of millions, outcompeting native species like the Atlantic rock crab and young lobsters, destroying eelgrass beds, and eroding salt marsh shorelines. In addition, their predation on clams, oysters, and soft-shell clams causes millions of dollars in annual economic losses to the shellfish industry in the region.
Clam fisherman Chad Coffin from Maine attributes a steep decline in his clam harvest to the presence of green crabs. Data from the state shows that the soft-shell clam catch has plummeted from over 7.8 million pounds in 1978 to just 1.3 million pounds by 2025.
Known for their brown or green shells and five spines on each side of their eyes, green crabs thrive in various habitats due to warming oceans. They are omnivorous and incredibly prolific breeders – a female can lay up to 185,000 eggs one to two times a year.
These traits have made them one of the world’s most successful invasive species, spreading along the West Coast to Alaska and reaching South Africa, Japan, Argentina, and Australia.
“These little guys are really tough,” said Carolyn Tepolt, a biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who has studied green crabs for two decades, using them to understand why certain species thrive in different environments.
Over the past decade, New England has mainly relied on grassroots efforts to address the green crab invasion with minimal impacts on the crab population.
Although more restaurants and seafood businesses are now offering green crabs on their menus, there are few dedicated green crab fishermen in New England, and limited infrastructure exists for processing and distributing the catch. There is currently insufficient data to determine the capacity of New England’s fishing grounds for green crabs, but experts believe it is significantly higher than current harvesting levels.
Marissa McMahan, Vice President of Fisheries at the Manomet Conservation Sciences, revealed that residents in Washington County, Maine, on the US-Canada border, have an abundance of green crabs but struggle to transport them to markets in cities like Boston, New Bedford, or New York City due to logistical challenges.
Several states have taken small-scale measures to address the issue. Rhode Island offers green crab fishing permits for just $10, Connecticut now allows the sale of green crabs for food, and Maine has streamlined the process of bringing green crabs to market.
Advocates argue that the lack of robust government support in New England is a major hurdle. Massachusetts is the only state providing incentives for crabbing, offering fishermen an additional 40 cents per pound of green crabs sold on top of their earnings, with an annual investment of over $100,000 covering ten communities along the North Shore and Cape Cod.
Meanwhile, Washington State declared an emergency in 2022, planning to invest over $38 million in state and federal funds to eradicate the crabs by the end of the 2027 fiscal year. So far this year, nearly 2 million green crabs have been captured, with most turned into 135,000 pounds of waste for processing by an organic fertilizer company.
One positive development in New England is the increasing demand for green crabs. Since 2021, those promoting the consumption of green crabs have seen a tenfold increase in restaurants offering these crabs on their menus. Some restaurants serve fried green crabs in sandwiches, pasta, or sauces, with many participating in “Green Crab Week” events during their soft-shell season, typically lasting about two months.
At PAGU, a Spanish-Japanese tapas restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, green crabs are used in a Malaysian-inspired laksa soup base. Chef and owner Tracy Chang believes that the crabs deliver a much richer flavor.
Compared to king crabs, snow crabs, or Jonah crabs, Chang adds that those crabs typically have a mild sweetness, while green crabs offer a robust, savory, and lingering crab flavor.
In a bustling restaurant, Dr. William Li bit into his first crab bun. The dish was tangy, sweet, and crunchy with a visible crab claw, catching Dr. Li’s attention as a crab enthusiast.
“This is a healthy and delicious bite,” Dr. Li said. “These green crab buns are amazing – flavorful, convenient to eat, and very tasty.”
Yet, large-scale green crab fishing operations still seem far off.
Masi’s operation is labor-intensive – his team handpicks individuals from thousands of green crabs about to molt. These wild-caught green crabs are temporarily held in water facilities; once showing signs of molting or shell breakdown, they are transferred to tube-shaped compartments in lobster traps.
Despite some growth in Masi’s business since it started five years ago, he views it more as a side gig bringing in up to $20,000 a year. However, he remains optimistic about the future of the green crab fishing industry, envisioning a day when he can upgrade to a larger vessel for increased efficiency.
“I am cautiously optimistic about the potential of the green crab industry,” Masi said. “We are just one breakthrough away from turning it into a profitable business.”