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Chinese "mitten crab" threatens to destroy New Jersey
First there came the chupacabra, then the Mongolian deathworm, and now..."Tonight, on the most shocking episode of The Deadliest Catch ever filmed,..." The patches of dense hair, located near the white-tipped pincers, earned the Chinese mitten crab its deceptively benign name. But there is nothing soft or comforting about these invasive Asian critters, and lately that have taken a sudden shine to New Jersey waters. While long treasured as a culinary delight in their native East Asia, the crabs have become a scourge to most everyone else. In Europe, they have eroded estuaries by burrowing into earthen dams and river banks. In California, the only state where they have gained a major foothold so far, mitten tribes have exploded into a major ecological nightmare, venturing inland to clog water systems in Central Valley, and disrupting fishing operations in San Francisco Bay, where they steal bait and get entangled in fishing gear. Predatory as well as vegetarian, they crowd out other species by eating their food supply and sometimes by eating them.... "So far, 40 crabs have been caught, reported and confirmed in New Jersey alone, making that state ground zero right now for mitten crabs," said Gregory Ruiz, a senior scientist at the Marine Invasions Research Lab of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland...."We aren't sure if they have established anywhere or what the potential impact is," Ruiz said. Never mind that, save yourselves while you can! Flee for your wretched lives!
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