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Molt Search Virtual Training

Become a Molt Searcher and Help Protect the Salish Sea Molt Search is a community science program that helps detect the spread of invasive European green crabs in Washington's inland waters. By searching beaches for crab molts (shed shells), anyone who enjoys spending time on the beach can provide valuable early detection data that helps scientists and resource managers respond before new infestations become established. 

Molt Searchers also collect valuable data on Dungeness. European green crabs are considered one of the world's most destructive invasive species, threatening native habitats, shellfish, and coastal ecosystems. Molt Searchers survey throughout the Salish Sea on their own schedule, at any location where they have safe and legal access to the shoreline. 

The online training teaches you how to identify Washington's most commonly encountered crab molts, and how to do a molt search. 

Register to receive the Zoom link for this free event: wsgcrabteam.uw.edu/molt-search/

Starts: August 26, 2026

Time: 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Admission: Free!

Location: Online via Zoom
600 Dupont St., Bellingham, WA 98225

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Produced By: WSU Whatcom County Extension

Contact Person: Cheryl Lovato Niles

Phone: 360-778-5812

Email: clniles@wsu.edu

        We acknowledge that Whatcom County is located on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples. They cared for the lands that included what we’d call the Puget Sound region, Vancouver Island and British Columbia since time immemorial. This gives us the great obligation and opportunity to learn how to care for our surrounding areas and all the natural and human resources we require to live. We express our deepest respect and gratitude for our indigenous neighbors, the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.
Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
Visitor Center Located at I-5 Exit 253 - Check Hours
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Phone: 360-671-3990
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