Public asked to report blue land crab sightings

North Carolina state marine biologists are asking residents along the coast to report sightings of blue land crabs, a non-native species that has become more common in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The crabs resemble oversized fiddler crabs and are native to the Atlantic from Brazil to South Florida; South Carolina recorded the first sightings in 2008, with North Carolina’s first confirmed sighting in the summer of 2023. Since then, there have been 23 confirmed NC sightings and 34 unconfirmed reports, including two confirmed sightings this year in Emerald Isle. Researchers still do not know how far the crabs have spread or how they arrived, nor what impact they might have on native ecosystems. The species is long-lived and slow-growing, with color variation beyond the blue-gray male and a large defensive claw, and they are difficult to catch as they retreat into deep burrows. Public reports, often aided by photographs with date and location, help biologists track the crustaceans’ spread, especially after heavy rains when they emerge from burrows.