INVASION OF CRABS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21562, 5 August 1933, Page 7 (Supplement)

INVASION OF CRABS

AUSTRALIAN PROBLEM A remarkable invasion of the coastal waters of Victoria by giant crabs has ruined scores of fishermen and has set scientific minds a problem they will find it difficult to solve. The crabs have come, in millions, apparently from the deep. With claws extended they are from 2ft. to sft. across, and in parts they lie on the sea bed in masses 3ft. to 4ft. deep. "When the tide ebbs they cover the beaches—an ugly mass crawling over one another, jostling and fighting. The crab's have small bodies, but great claws, and they are evidently of tho well-known ' spider type. Most of the crabs are almost lifeless, and all are sluggish in movement. They have cleared the sea bed for miles around of all growth and of every living thing. In less than two weeks they have spread over great areas of valuable fishing grounds, and fishing in many quarters is at a standstill. While experts discuss the phenomenon tho menace grows, ft would seem that the crabs multiply rapidly, and further reinforcements are arriving daily. It is feared that many other fishing grounds will bo ruined before tho discovery of effective methods for destroying the army are discovered. Unless the crabs disappear, it is certain that all tho swimming beaches near Molbourne will be ruined by them, and there is danger that the crab menace will extend to other parts of the coast of Australia. Never before have Australians seen crabs of such sizo. and in such quantities. One proposal is that powerful launches should draw huge rollers along tho floor of the sea in the hope that many millions of crabs will be destroyed. This suggestion seems to be as practical as many of tho . others that have been put forward. The experts frankly admit that they are puzzled to know what to do. According to one authority, the crabs have come from the Great Australian Bight. The species was first noticed on the coast about three years ago. A few spider crabs were reported last year, but this year the number has grown tremendously. It is recognised that one of the first things to discover is tho cause of tho invasion. If that were determined it might bo possible to do something to check the nuisance. The difficulties in that regard, however, could be gauged from the knowledge that a female crab produced something like 1,000,000. Tho killing off of a few thousand crabs would not afford any relief, but would probably help the main body by providing ifc with,more food. The crabs possessed no meat substance which was of any commercial or edible value. Those spoke of canning the crabs knew noth-"" ing of .their subject. This invasion of crabs finds Victoria quite unprepared. It is likely that it will seek the co-operation of experts from other centres in dealing with this new menace. ALUMINIUM AS INSULATOR Aluminium, covering one side of a new wall board, is expected to improve its heat-insulating quality. The polished metal stops summer heat by reflecting bacK as a mirror docs light, while in winter it diminishes heat loss by radiation. THE ABSOLUTE ZERO Not yet has science been able to produce a temperature that has absolutely no lieat. The coldest cold, attained recently by experimenters at the University of California, is 459.1 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit. This temperature is within .25 degrees centigrade of the absolute absence of heat, or absolute zero. The experimenters aro continuing their work in the hope of producing an even lower temperature. Attainment of absolute zero is believed essential to the solution of many scientific problems. One theory is that the praotical absence of heat is necessary to the creation of a perfect vacuum. Another is that new low temperatures will aid in the manufacture of supersteel. The substance used in reaching 459.1 degrees below zero was a compound of gadolinium, a metallic element.