Chinese mitten crabs’ population has skyrocketed, and the UK and scientists are working to mitigate their numbers.
Scientists in the UK have designed a first-ever crab hunter to capture them when they go downstream to mate.
Scientists Instal Crab Hunter
A group of scientists designed special traps to capture the Chinese crabs, an invasive species whose population is e growing rapidly.
Mick Henfrey designed the trap, and he hoped the experiment would succeed.
The trap is an extended “letterbox that goes across the weir, with two openings, one facing upstream and one downstream,” he said.
UK’s Rising Mitten Crab Problem
Last week, ecologists in the United Kingdom urged the public to report the sightings of Chinese crabs.
The invasive species are considered harmful to the ecosystem as they feed on critical organisms.
The global economic cost of such species is more than $420 billion annually, according to IPBES, an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
