The CRMC Chinese Mitten Crab needs a name!

March 19, 2010, WAKEFIELD – A larger-than-life-size Chinese Mitten Crab puppet, created by Big Nazo, needs a name.

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) is looking for a name that describes the crab and its status as an invasive species. Creativity is encouraged.

The Chinese Mitten Crab is an aquatic invasive species in the U.S. The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) commissioned Big Nazo, a Providence-based international performance group, to create a mascot under the Rhode Island Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan. The plan was approved by the federal Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force in 2007.

The mitten crab was inspired by the R.I. Resource Recovery’s Max Man puppet, which serves as a mascot to educate the public on recycling. The crab’s purpose will similarly be to educate the public on the problems of aquatic invasive species and will appear at public events and through school programs.

The puppet crab – created with a special foam and latex fabrication process by Big Nazo – is a taxonomically accurate male, complete with its telltale mitten claws. The Chinese Mitten Crab (Eriocheir sinensis) was first discovered on the East Coast in Chesapeake Bay in 2005 and since then has continued its migration up the coast.

For more information on the Chinese Mitten Crab or the R.I. Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan, go to the CRMC web site at http://www.crmc.ri.gov/invasives.html. Please submit all name ideas via email to lricketson@crmc.ri.gov or in writing to:

Coastal Resources Management Council
Attn: Laura Ricketson-Dwyer
Stedman Government Center - Suite 3
4808 Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, RI 02879-1900

The crab’s new name will be unveiled at a special ceremony in the spring. Check the CRMC web site, www.crmc.ri.gov, for event information as it becomes available.