Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is launching a pilot program that will allow commercial fishers to harvest European green crab in Southwest New Brunswick in an attempt to control the invasive species.
“European Green Crab is a serious threat to local ecosystems and the shellfish fisheries that so many people rely on in Southwest New Brunswick,” Canada Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson said in a statement. “By opening this commercial fishery pilot, we are taking a practical step to reduce its presence and impact while creating new economic opportunities for Indigenous communities and local harvesters. This is also welcome news for lobster harvesters, who will have access to an additional source of bait from harvested European green crab.”
According to the government, invasive green crabs pose a threat to marine habitats like eel grass, dulse beds, and shellfish beds, and they feed on native species, including clams, oysters, mussels, small fish, and juvenile crabs and lobsters. Green crabs can live up to seven years, and females release up to 185,000 eggs once or twice per year.
To help control the species, DFO is launching a one-year commercial fishery pilot in spring 2026 that will allow fishers to harvest the crabs for bait and other uses. Harvesters who operated under a commercial fishing license in 2025 will be eligible for a green crab license in the coming year.
“Prevention is the most efficient and cost-effective way of managing aquatic invasive species. The potential costs and benefits of alternative management measures are carefully assessed and only considered for established populations of invasive species where eradication is no longer possible,” DFO said in a release. “In line with this approach, the commercial fishery pilot for European green crab reflects a balanced consideration of ecological, social, and economic factors. In this case, the harvesting of this established species can provide economic opportunities through commercial fisheries, use as bait, incorporation into bioplastics, and soil enrichment products.”
