National Invasive Species Act: Difference between revisions

[[Chinese mitten crab|Mitten crabs]] (''Eriochir sinensis'') from China were first sighted in San Francisco Bay in 1992, and are suspected of being purposely introduced to initiate a fishery.<ref name="EPA">United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  "Non-native Crab Species."  2011.  http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/ECOCOMM.NSF/B724CA698F6054798825705700693650/3BD470D756FBBFAE88257416005A73DE?OpenDocument Accessed on March 1, 2011.</ref>  Like other invasive species, the mitten crab is an ecological competitor that threatens the availability of food for native species. It also feeds on [[salmon]] eggs, which is a great problem for dwindling salmon populations in California.<ref name="EPA" /> Although the current geographic range of the mitten crab is limited to Northern California, it is expected to move toward [[Oregon]] and [[Washington (state)|Washington]].<ref>National Sea Grant Library.  "A Guide to Least-Wanted Aquatic Organisms of the Pacific Northwest."  http://nsgl.gso.uri.edu/washu/washuh00001.pdf Accessed on March 1, 2011.</ref> In 2009, mitten crabs were reported to be found in Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, the Hudson River, New York, and New Jersey.<ref>Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. "Chinese Mitten Crab Update: U.S. Atlantic Coast Bays & Rivers."  April 2009. http://www.serc.si.edu/labs/marine_invasions/news/CHINESE_MITTEN_CRAB_UPDATE_APR21_09.pdf Accessed on March 1, 2011.</ref>