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Invasive “furry”-clawed crabs that terrorize fishermen have been found in New York
Just days ago, invasive Joro spiders sent New Yorkers into a frenzy amid news that the large arachnids that can soar with the winds are headed for the Big Apple. Now, there’s another critter causing a stir that has “furry” mittens for claws and is known to terrorize fishermen while tearing up coastlines.
New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation said last week that they found mitten crabs in the state’s Nissequogue River over the winter, news that they said, “was anything but crabulous.” More recently, the agency, the creatures have have been found in the Hudson River and Long Island Sound.
“These crabs move between brackish and marine waters and have the potential to disrupt local ecosystems by out competing native marine life,” the department said in its June 5 Facebook post.
Chinese mitten crabs are an invasive species that are originally from East Asia. The Smithsonian says that the crabs first established an invasive population in the San Francisco Bay in the ’80s, but it took decades for them to reach the opposite coast.
According to New York Invasive Species Information, these crustaceans were first documented in the eastern U.S. Chesapeake Bay in 2006 at the mouth of Maryland’s Patapsco River. One of the crabs was first spotted in New York in May 2007 when it was found in a commercial crab pot in the Hudson River.
Frank Bründel/picture alliance via Getty Images
It’s not yet fully known the kind of impact they will have in New York, but so far, their impacts in Europe and San Francisco have been negative ecologically and economically, the DEC says. The tiny, hard-shelled animals have been known to steal fishing bait and damage fishing gear, block power plant cooling systems and even amplify flooding risk by burrowing in banks, causing them to be unstable and erode.
To identify them, the agency says to look out for “furry” claws that resemble mittens on adult crabs. Younger crabs may not have the fuzzy claws, and it’s recommended to look for a notch on their carapace, or shell, between their eyes and the four small spines on each side.
But what do you do if you happen to see one?
“Do not throw it back alive!” the Smithsonian says.
New York officials say that if a mitten crab is seen, it should be immediately removed from the environment and frozen. They also encourage anyone who finds one to take photos, make note of where it was found and report it to the Bureau of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
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Georgia sheriff’s deputy dies days after being shot while assisting the GBI execute a search warrant
A sheriff’s deputy has died days after he was shot while serving a search warrant in west Georgia, authorities said.
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office announced late Friday that Investigator Taylor Bristow died from his injuries from the shooting Tuesday. Bristow was shot and critically wounded while serving a Georgia Bureau of Investigation warrant in a neighborhood in Carrollton, which is about 50 miles southwest of Atlanta.
At 11 a.m. local time, a procession will escort Bristow’s body from Grady Memorial Hospital to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab for an autopsy, according to ANF, a CBS affiliate in Atlanta.
“Tonight, we mourn the passing of Investigator Bristow, who has left this earth and gained his heavenly wings,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement posted on Facebook. “He served our community with unwavering passion and dedicated his life to protecting the citizens of Carroll County.”
Bristow was assisting the GBI execute a search warrant by its agents with the child exploitation and computer crimes unit. The GBI said the suspect, Christopher Bly, ran into the home before firing a handgun, striking himself and Bristow. Bly, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The GBI said during its search that agents located and seized multiple electronic devices that contained child sexual abuse materials.
“Our hearts are heavy this morning as we join the Bristow family, the Carroll Co. Sheriff’s Office, and all Georgians in mourning the loss of Investigator Taylor Bristow,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp posted on X. “May God give them strength and comfort during this painful time, and may He keep all our law enforcement safe.”
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Arson attack targets synagogue in France, authorities search for suspect: “The fight against antisemitism is a constant battle”
Authorities are searching for a suspect after an arson attack on a synagogue in a southwestern Mediterranean town in France injured a police officer.
Two cars parked at the Beth Yaacov synagogue complex in the seaside resort town of La Grande Motte near Montpellier were set ablaze just after 8 a.m. local time on Saturday, the National Anti-terrorism Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. Firefighters discovered additional fires at two entrances to the synagogue.
A police officer who walked up to the site was injured after a propane gas tank in one of the vehicles detonated, officials said.
Manon Cruz / REUTERS
Five people, including the synagogue’s rabbi, were present in the complex at the time of the attack. They were all unharmed, the prosecutor’s office said.
The attack is being investigated as an attempted assassination linked to a terrorist group, prosecutors said. Officials are also investigating it as a crime planned by a terrorist group with the intent to cause harm, and as the destruction of property with dangerous means.
President Emmanuel Macron called the attack a “terrorist attack” and said that a hunt for the perpetrator is underway. French media said that a suspect had been seen on CCTV cameras shortly before the attack, with a Palestinian flag tied around their waist, Reuters reported.
“The fight against antisemitism is a constant battle,” Macron said on social media.
Acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal called the attack “an act of antisemitism.”
“Once again our Jewish fellow citizens are being targeted,” Attal said in a post on social media. “Faced with antisemitism, faced with violence, we will never let ourselves be intimidated.”
Manon Cruz / REUTERS
Acting Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin ordered police reinforcements at protect Jewish places of worship.
“I want to assure our Jewish fellow citizens of my full support and say that at the request of President Emmanuel Macron all means are being mobilized to find the perpetrator,” Darmanin posted.
He ordered more police deployed at Jewish places of worship around the country. Increased protection has already been at place at some sites following a surge of antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last year.
Darmanin and Attal were expected to travel to Le Grand Motte later on Saturday.
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