BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Whatcom County Public Works issued a green crab alert on Thursday, August 10th.

They say the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has found invasive European green crabs in Drayton Harbor, Birch Bay, Bellingham Bay and Mud Bay this summer.

Local residents can help by learning how to ID green crabs and reporting them to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Shell color is not a reliable way to distinguish green crabs.

Instead, they can be identified by the five points they have on each side of their shell.

There have been 3,949 green crabs captured in the North Sound so far this year.