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  PlanetArk 9 Feb 06
Alien Crab Invasion Threatening Native UK Species

LONDON - An exotic species of crab regarded as a delicacy in its native waters of China and Japan is spreading at an "alarming rate" around Britain's coast and waterways, a university study said on Wednesday.

The Chinese mitten crab, brought to Britain in the last century in ships' ballast water, could cause "devastating environmental problems" if their rising numbers are not monitored and curbed, Newcastle University researchers said.

The crabs, which can grow as big as dinner plates, prey on protected UK native species such as white-clawed crayfish and salmon eggs.

"The pattern of the spread in the UK since the 1970s mirrors the spread in mainland Europe and in the Baltic region which experienced an major outbreak," said Matt Bentley, one of the research team. "This is a fairly good indication that the UK is set for a similar situation."

The crabs, which can live in sea or freshwater, are already present in the Thames, Humber and Tyne rivers and parts of the North Sea and English Channel coasts. A reduction in river pollution and a long period of drought in the 1980s, which together improved habitat conditions for the crabs, are thought to have contributed to a recent population rise.

The study, published in the journal Biological Invasions, recommends a national monitoring and trapping scheme be introduced before it is too late to control the crab's numbers. "With most invasive species, such as the grey squirrel, the problem is not recognised until it is too late to do anything and you can not eliminate it without taking drastic environmental measures," said Bentley.
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