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Marine Pest of the Week

Marine Pest of the Week is a series in which you can learn about the marine pests threatening New Zealand’s waters, how to identify them, and what you can do to help protect our marine environment.

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Marine Pest of the Week: Asian Shore Crab

Marine Pest of the Week

Published

10 February 2026

Written by Supplied

Why is it a problem?

The Ministry for Primary industries says that this crab eat species that are important to our rocky intertidal communities. They can also dominate these species by eating their food sources. The Asian shore crab may disrupt native food chains and affect populations of native crabs, fish, and shellfish.

These opportunistic crabs would pose a threat to aquaculture operations.

Once established, aquatic pests are extremely difficult to eradicate.

How to identify this species

These are small crabs that grow to only 4cm across the body. Learn how to identify the Asian shore crab on the Ministry for Primary Industries website. Click here.

This pest is not known to be in New Zealand. If you see something suspicious, report it to the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries