From Pest to Plate?

Scientists from Oregon’s South Slough Reserve are asking whether the state’s most unwanted crab might be its next big catch. The invasive European green crab (increasingly referred to as the five-spine crab) is a small but aggressive predator with a taste for Oregon’s most commercially valuable fishery, Dungeness crab. During the 2024/202 season alone, Dungeness fishermen netted $97.1 million.

Reserve scientists had been tracking five-spine crab populations in Coos Bay for over two decades. The average catch per trap has risen steadily since 2016, with hotspots near the Coos Bay waterfront that are well above the density threshold at which to expect damage to native crabs and other shellfish.

“We collected all of this data and watched these troubling trends,” says Patricia Fox, Reserve manager. “We wanted to put this effort toward addressing the problem.”

The answer, they thought, might be on the dinner plate. If people develop a taste for five-spine crab, the harvest pressure could help reduce its populations while putting money back into coastal communities. 

They engaged students from Southwestern Oregon Community College to develop business plans exploring how a commercial five-spine fishery could work. Local restaurateurs have weighed in on whether the crab is marketable, and a fishing cooperative is preparing to test retail sales for the first time, with eventual proceeds intended to support the college involved in the work.

“I’m looking forward to watching this nascent conservation and eradication project overlap with culinary uses,” says Dianne Hosford, the owner of the Crazy Norwegian in Port Orford, Oregon, who has experimented with some of the crab meat produced from the crab meat extractor. “I’m excited to try out ‘soft shell’ crab recipes when they molt.” 

To further catalyze a commercial five-spine crab fishery, the Reserve recently acquired the region’s first crab meat extractor through funding from Oregon Sea Grant. The machine separates meat from shell, dramatically improving processing efficiency and opening the door to broader commercial possibilities.

“The crab meat extraction machine processes the crabs very quickly,” says Shon Schooler, the Reserve’s lead scientist. “It squeezes out the meat and separates it from the shell. The result is a crab meat mince which works well for crab cakes, crab paella, and crab bisque.”

Reserve staff are also experimenting with ways to use leftover shell material as a soil amendment for gardens and chicken feed supplements. While not all applications scale commercially, the work reflects their commitment to explore potential value in invasive crab populations. 

In February 2026, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife updated regulations to allow pathways for commercial harvest of five-spine crab. The policy change places Oregon somewhere between Washington, which has invested heavily in eradication efforts, and California, which currently prohibits commercial harvest. 

“This change means that five-spine crab harvesting could integrate into existing fisheries infrastructure,” says Fox. “Licensed commercial fishers may be able to add the species into current operations without creating an entirely new industry from scratch.”

Students and community groups are now improving harvest efficiency via trap-design competitions and tourism organizations are exploring how shellfish harvesters could use crab meat extractors recreationally. For the Reserve, this project represents a shift in how they connect with communities.

“This is scientists thinking beyond data collection,” says Fox. “This is about applying data to test ideas, support local economies, and bring people together.”