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THE EUROPEAN UNION’S Crab Watch programme is asking for volunteers to help record different species of crabs along their coastline.
Crab Watch, which launched on 28 June, invites European citizens to play a key role in the scientific process by gathering valuable data to enhance our knowledge of the changing distribution of native and non-native crabs.
By establishing a network of Crab Watchers to record and report on the crabs they see, it is hoped that new arrivals will be detected early and appropriate environmental management action can then be taken quickly.
Crab Watch is an initiative of the EU-funded Sea Change project which aims to increase European citizens’ understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean.
By getting people to become Crab Watchers, visit their coastline and interact with marine creatures in a meaningful way, Sea Change hopes to encourage people to think positively about the ocean and how to maintain it.
Hannah Milburn from the Marine Biological Association, coordinators of Crab Watch and Sea Change, said that crabs are interesting creatures to search for when you’re by the coast.
You can find them in all marine and some freshwater habitats around Europe, and they have great commercial and cultural significance in many countries.
However, crabs are easily impacted by human activities, including warming seas, the introduction of invasive species and overexploitation.
“This makes them an ideal subject to help demonstrate how our ocean is changing and what the impacts are.”
The Sea Change project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and began in March 2015.
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Gonorrhea yesterday, crabs today.
@George Roche: STIs, fnarr, fnarr…
@George Roche: Ready Steady Cook lol.
There is very interesting new trend in volunteering you do the work like separate the rubbish, spot and record the the crab populations and the boys and girls at the top cream off the moolah handy pickings indeed
Surely you’d spot more crabs on the sidewalk…
@Phil O’ Meara: only if you’re in Amurica
What are the wages and benefits like?
@patrick boland:
Volunteers
@patrick boland: a job in rte
There is something fishy going on here!
Coppers.
Seen loads in Coppers last night.
A new jobbridge scheme watching crabs lol.
Ya would catch more crabs in the Wright venue
Talking of six legged creatures with large pincers, the Journal.ie are pretty slow on reporting that the Vatican are banning gluten-free communion hosts. The Beeb have it. Not that I give a flying crab’s poo about it but I thought the normal suspects would enjoy it. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40545023
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: yes, but it also says that it can be made from gluten free organisms, just not from gluten free wheat because then the eucharist won’t contain the same amount of protein as as normal eucharist bread, thus only allowing the use of gluten free organisms as those will contain protein (since they are in effect animals made from only a few cells and mostly made up of protein cells)
As long as we don’t have to catch them i’m in
As a diver I have seen colonies of Masked Crabs, and Edible Crabs.
Squat Lobsters are abundant in one particular place I know of.
I will not volunteer as I want these colonies to remain undisturbed.
Nature is wonderful down there, it’s a privilege to be allowed to visit so often.
Pea Crabs are missing from their list, and their habitat is not mentioned.
have your say