Carcinus maenas (the “shore crab” or “European green crab”) is a very proficient invader (considered to be one of the world’s 100 worst invaders by the IUCN) due to its phenotypic plasticity, wide temperature and salinity tolerance, and an extensive omnivorous diet. Native to Atlantic Europe, it has established two well-studied nonindigenous populations in the northwestern Atlantic and northeastern Pacific and less-studied populations in Australia, Argentina and South Africa. Green crabs are eurythermal and euryhaline as adults, but they are limited to temperate coastlines due to more restrictive temperature requirements for breeding and larval development. They cannot tolerate wave-swept open shores so are found in wave-protected sheltered bays, estuaries and harbors. Carcinus maenas has been the subject of numerous papers, with over 1000 published in the past decade. This review provides an up-to-date account of the current published information on the life history and population dynamics of this very important species, including genetic differentiation, habitat preferences, physical parameter tolerances, reproduction and larval development, sizes of crabs, densities of populations, sex ratios, ecosystem dynamics and ecological impacts in the various established global populations of green crabs.

This is the PowerPoint slide deck shown by Ted Maney during his 60-minute presentation at Greenbelt's "State of Our Oceans" Lecture and Film Series on February 22, 2017 at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Auditorium in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It has specific emphasis on what aquaculture is and how it works, why it is becoming increasingly important, and how it can help rehabilitate wild fish populations. Learn about the variety of fish species that can are being aquacultured, as well as how this process is prevalent in New England and Massachusetts. Aquaculture is becoming more well-known and is starting to play a bigger role in the fishing industry. The goal of this event was for people to gain a better understanding of the process of aquaculture its impact on the harvest of fish, the pros and cons associated with aquaculture, and to give people a sense of hope that we can make a difference in helping to ensure healthier fish populations for future generations.

Under conditions of human-induced climate change, the Caribbean region is predicted to experience more frequent water shortages. To determine whether rainfall amounts on the island of Culebra have already begun to change, rainfall data spanning 100 years were assessed. Rainfall data had been collected at three different locations during three time periods that did not overlap. There was no evidence of change in annual rainfall amounts or the severity of dry seasons from 1907-2007. It appears that global climate change has not yet affected precipitation on this island, suggesting that current precipitation values represent a baseline that can be used to monitor the hydrologic state of this and climactically similar regions.

The climate change outlook for the small Caribbean island of Culebra. The primary text is in English. The supplemental text is translated into Spanish.