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PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Aquac.
Sec. Society, Value Chains, Governance and Development
Volume 3 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/faquc.2024.1436340

Oyster Grower Perspectives on Green Crab (Carcinus maenas) Interactions: Using Applied Social Science to Inform Research and Engagement

Provisionally accepted
Kelsey Meyer Kelsey Meyer 1Lindsey Williams Lindsey Williams 2Krystin Ward Krystin Ward 1Bonnie L. Brown Bonnie L. Brown 1*
  • 1 University of New Hampshire, Durham, United States
  • 2 New Hampshire Sea Grant, Lee, New Hampshire, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Research that informs the New Hampshire Aquaculture industry, which has grown significantly over the past few years, and helps the overall associated watershed community to keep Great Bay Estuary healthy is vital. Specific study of green crabs, Carcinus maenas, and their potential effects on oysters, Crassostrea virginica, is important to gain a better understanding of the impact invasive species may have on these ecologically and economically important bivalves.The aim of this study was to document and understand New Hampshire (NH) oyster growers' perspectives on the issue of green crab predation of oysters. Through a survey, this study documented a preliminary understanding of farmer perspectives and research needs regarding the population of green crabs in NH waters. More specifically, this survey provided a social science perspective and information on areas of potential research -abundance, distribution, and diet of green crabs -that could be beneficial to the oyster industry. This study fills knowledge gaps, helps improve future research (including how to better engage with end users), and facilitates creating and implementing solutions that benefit the NH oyster aquaculture industry.

    Keywords: oyster growers1, green crabs2, social science3, surveys4, aquaculture5

    Received: 21 May 2024; Accepted: 09 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Meyer, Williams, Ward and Brown. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Bonnie L. Brown, University of New Hampshire, Durham, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.