WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The fight to halt the spread of the invasive European green crab in the Salish Sea continues.

The Washington Department of Wildlife (WDFW) says they recently detected green crabs near Port Gamble and Port Ludlow.

The department also says a green crab molt was confirmed in False Bay on San Juan Island in June.

That was the first evidence of the invasive species in San Juan County since 2019.

European green crabs have spread to multiple coastal bays since the 1980s from Grays Harbor on the coast to Drayton Harbor in Blaine.

The species can cause serious ecological and economic damage by consuming eelgrass, bivalve mollusks, crustaceans and other native species.

To report a sighting of the green crab or any other invasive species, click here.