BANGOR, Maine, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- There's a new out-of-towner invading the coastal waters of Maine, and fishermen and conservationists are worried. Green crabs moved into Maine waters more than a century ago after arriving on the East Coast in the ballast water of ships from Europe, but their numbers have been growing in recent years. Scientists say warming ocean water has allowed them to move farther and farther north, multiplying along the way.
Now, fishermen, conservationists and researchers in Downeast Maine are mobilizing to deal with the crabs. They're hoping to find an effective way to trap the crustacean in Frenchman Bay and slowly defeat the invader. Using a $6,000 grant from Maine Community Foundation, the Frenchman Bay Regional Shellfish Committee has begun placing different types of crab traps in Frenchman Bay, north of Acadia National Park.