4:38pm Monday 13th July 2009
An invasion of alien crabs is causing havoc along the Sussex coast.
Colonies of the Chinese mitten crab, a native of the Far East, have been found off the coast of Littlehampton and Shoreham.
Numbers of the crustacean have been soaring in the Adur and Arun because they are free from predators and diseases.
Conservationists, who believe the crab was transported by shipping and dumped in ballast water, fear its presence could damage the ecosystem.
The Sussex Biodiversity Partnership believes it could threaten native species of fish and the endangered white-clawed crayfish.
It also warned the crab could cause significant damage to riverbanks through its burrowing.
A spokesman for the group said: “Non-native species didn’t evolve here. This means they have none of the usual predators, parasites and pathogens that keep populations of our native species in check, which can give them a distinct advantage.”
The group lists the crab among 49 species that are considered to pose a threat in Sussex.
Conservation charity WWF warned that about 7,000 marine and coastal species travel across the world’s oceans every day.
It estimated invasive species have cost marine and coastal activities worldwide £30 billion in the last five years.
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