Senator Murray, Rep. Kilmer Trap European Green Crab, Murray Discusses Efforts to Marshall Federal Resources

***PHOTOS AND VIDEO OF THE EVENT HERE***

(Sequim, WA) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Congressman Derek Kilmer (D-WA-6), toured the southern end of Sequim Bay with leaders from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe along with local environmental advocates and experts to trap invasive European green crab and hear directly from local leaders about their on-the-ground efforts to address the threat posed by the invasive species. While no live crabs were found, during the event, Senator Murray made clear she will be working to secure dedicated federal resources and better coordination in future spending bills to support state and local efforts to protect Washington state’s local ecosystems from the European green crab.

“The European green crab poses a serious threat to the entire Puget Sound ecosystem—threatening local shellfish populations, hurting salmon and orca recovery efforts, and threatening to undermine our Tribal treaty obligations. I’m here today with Congressman Kilmer to hear directly from the leaders on the ground fighting back against this invasive species,” began Senator Murray. “There’s a lot of good work happening here in the state and locally to protect our environment and ecosystem. And I appreciate that the federal agencies involved have been coordinating with the state on this, but so far—beyond staff time—they have not directed any federal dollars to support our efforts to beat back the European green crab.”

“Whether it’s the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or NOAA—these agencies have an important role to play—and as Senate Appropriations Chair, I’m going to work to make sure they do their part,” said Senator Murray in closing. “I will be writing our nation’s spending bills for the next fiscal year and here’s the bottom line: this is a priority for Puget Sound and all of Washington state—so I’m going to make sure it’s a federal priority, too.”

“Unfortunately, we are becoming all too familiar with the threat that European Green Crabs pose to our environment,” said Congressman Derek Kilmer. “We have a responsibility to eliminate this invasive species so that we can protect our native species, support our shellfish farmers, and uphold our treaty responsibilities for Washington’s tribes. I’m going to keep pushing for the federal government to be a strong partner in that effort.”

While federal agencies have coordinated with Washington state in its European green crab response and contributed staff time, none have dedicated federal dollars specifically to the response effort. As Senate Appropriations Chair, Senator Murray is seeking federal funding and improved coordination for European green crab response efforts through Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Bureau of Indian Affairs, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Alongside Congressman Kilmer, Senator Murray authored language in the spending package Congress passed last December which requires FWS to produce a report for Congress, outlining federal efforts so far to collaborate and address the threat of the European green crab.

Just yesterday, Senator Murray held a roundtable at the Seattle Aquarium to discuss the recent influx of federal resources to support Puget Sound recovery efforts—during today’s event, Senator Murray made clear that addressing the threat of European green crabs had to be a federal priority in order to safeguard so much of the progress being made to restore the Sound and other ecosystems today.

In recognition of the threats posed by the European green crab, Governor Inslee issued on January 19, 2022 Emergency Proclamation 22-02 citing that the European green crab infestation poses an imminent danger to Washington state’s marine environment, marine-based economy, and the cultural well-being of both tribes and non-tribal residents.

During the event, Senator Murray and Rep. Kilmer were joined by Robert Knapp, Environmental Planning Program Manager for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe; Hilton Turnbull, Forest and Fish Biologist with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe; Lucas Hart, Executive Director of the Northwest Straits Commission; Emily Grason, Marine Ecologist with Sea Grant; Kate Litle, Deputy Director of Sea Grant; Chris Conklin, Region 1 Director of Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife; Allen Pleus, AIS Policy Coordinator at Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife; and Ron Allen, Chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.

###