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BAY ASSESSMENT & RESPONSE TEAM - BART
Bay Line: 222-8888
(May 21 to Oct. 15)
Latest Bay Conditions
(9/24/07)
Bay surface water temperatures are about the same as last week, at 68-70°F. The Greenwich Bay site reported the highest temperatures. The bottom waters are about the same, with an average temperature of 69°F. Chlorophyll levels are not elevated (5-15 µg/L) throughout the upper bay. All stations are reporting oxygen concentrations above 4 mg/L. Conditions are normal for this time of year.
A relatively high number (close to 100) of juvenile Tautog were caught in the Charlestown pond survey this week, which is the most caught in several years. On the Bay survey a Guachanche barracuda (Sphyraena guachancho) was caught, a subtropical species that can be found from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico.
The trawl survey is still reporting large numbers of juvenile weakfish. Unusual species found in the survey were a clearnose skate and a short bigeye.
Menhaden remain in the Providence River.
A loggerhead turtle was found dead in Greenwich Bay, with a propeller strike clearly visible.
The Marine Fisheries Abstract which contains the commercial and recreational fishing regulations is now available on the RIDEM website.
See also Fixed-Site Monitoring Stations and Data.
Live Chinese Mitten Crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) have been caught in crab pots in Chesapeake Bay (2005-2007) and Delaware Bay (May 2007) and most recently, the Hudson River in New York near the Tappan Zee bridge(June 2007). These are the first confirmed reports for the eastern United States.
The Chinese Mitten Crab (Mitten Crab Alert Brochure) is native to East Asia, and is a potential invasive that could have negative ecological impacts. The crab is listed as Injurious Wildlife under the Federal Lacey Act, which makes it illegal in the United States to import, export, or conduct interstate commerce of Mitten Crabs without a permit.
The Chinese Mitten Crab occurs in both freshwater and salt water. It is catadromous, migrating from freshwater rivers and tributaries to reproduce in salt water. Young crabs spend two to five years in freshwater tributaries and can extend miles upstream of bays and estuaries. Mature male and female crabs migrate downstream to mate and spawn in saltwater estuaries. Chinese Mitten Crabs burrow into banks and levees along estuaries and are able to leave the water to walk around obstacles while migrating.
Please Report any New Sightings.
To determine the status, abundance, and distribution of this species along the eastern U.S., a Mitten Crab Network has been established for the East Coast. Please help by reporting any mitten crabs directly to to your state resource contacts (see pdf link) and/or to the Network.
Identification characteristics:
- Only crab in fresh waters of North America
- Claws equal in size with white tips and hair
- If you find a crab without hair on the claws, it is NOT likely to be a Mitten Crab
- Carapace up to 4 inches wide; light brown to olive green in color
- No swimming legs. This crab has eight sharp-tipped walking legs
If you catch a mitten crab:
- Do not throw it back alive!
- Freeze the animal, keep it on ice, or preserve it in rubbing alcohol as a last resort
- Note the precise location and date where the animal was found
- Please take a close up photo of the animal. Photos can be emailed to SERCMittenCrab@si.edu <mailto:SERCMittenCrab@si.edu> for preliminary identification. Include your contact information with the photo.
- If you cannot take a photo contact the Mitten Crab Hotline (443-482-2222)
Rhode Island contacts for sightings of the crab:
Kevin R. Cute, Marine Resources Specialist
Coastal Resources Management Council
Stedman Government Center
4808 Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, Rhode Island 02879
Phone: 401-783-3370
Fax: 401-783-3767
Email: kcute@crmc.ri.gov <mailto:kcute@crmc.ri.gov>
Chris Deacutis, Chief Scientist
Narragansett Bay Estuary Program
URI Bay Campus 02882
Phone: 401-874-6217
Fax: 401-874-6869
Email: deacutis@gso.uri.edu <mailto:deacutis@gso.uri.edu>
David Gregg, Executive Director
RI Natural History Survey
PO Box 1858
Kingston, Rhode Island 02881
Phone: 401-874-5800
Fax: 401-874-5868
Email: dgregg@rinhs.org <mailto:dgregg@rinhs.org>
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