They’ve got oysters beds along the Georgia coast. And now they’ve got a new species of crab there. The dime-sized green porcelain crab is now being studied closely.
Already Georgia Tech has found the species far more abundant there than in its tropical home waters to the south. What they can’t predict: effects it may have on mussels, oysters and other shallow water life. The small crab filter feeds so it competes with shellfish. It doesn’t prey on oysters or mussels.
Also, it’s not clear how the green porcelain crab got there or why it’s thriving. Just natural range expansion or human-induced introduction? Is this being helped along by global warming? We really know so little about this planet, how come we put ourselves in charge?
The picture of the little crablets on a dock is from the Georgia Institute of Technology
