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
From the team at Clean Below? Good to Go – visit marinepests.nz to get everything you need to know about marine pests ID, boats, rules and more.
