In Support of Tisbury Waterways, Inc.

Followed by a panel discussion and a reception featuring green crab nibbles

An unwelcome island resident, the invasive green crab, is tearing up our eelgrass and threatening our shellfish beds — and it’s time you got introduced.

Tisbury Waterways, Inc. invites you to meet this creature by attending the world premiere of One Bad Crab at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center on Sunday, March 9 at 4 p.m. Following the 38-minute film, a panel of experts will discuss the challenges these voracious pests pose to our marine ecosystem. A unique wine reception with green crab appetizers will follow the discussion.

One Bad Crab was inspired by and based on a story with the same title in Martha’s Vineyard Magazine by Nelson Sigelman, writer and former editor of the Martha’s Vineyard Times. Sigelman, when he’s not hunting or fishing, is a shellfish department assistant in Tisbury.  Sigelman hosts and narrates the film. 

Filmmaker and TWI Board member Sandy Cannon-Brown traveled throughout New England to find out what’s being done to combat trillions of these nasty invaders that threaten scallops, quahogs, and steamers. 

Cannon-Brown moved to Vineyard Haven in 2020 from the Chesapeake Bay, where she and her partners – writer Tom Horton and photographer Dave Harp – made many notable films about the Bay.  In March 2024, Cannon-Brown debuted one of their films, A Passion for Oysters, at the Film Center.

She had produced, directed and edited a film about the blue crab, Beautiful Swimmers Revisited, but until she moved to Martha’s Vineyard, she had never seen, nor heard of, a green crab. Sigelman’s story piqued Cannon-Brown’s curiosity and she set out to learn more.  One Bad Crab shares what she found during her six-month investigation.  

On Martha’s Vineyard, the Shellfish Group, led by Emma Green-Beach, focuses on keeping juvenile shellfish safe from green crabs and other predators.  On the Island, green crabs are trapped and disposed of or used as free bait for tautogs and conch.  In other parts of New England, green crabs are harvested commercially and sold as bait or food.  David Standridge, the 2024 James Beard awardee as best chef in the Northeast, prefers green crabs for his stock and sauces!  

Doors open for admissions 30 minutes prior to screening.

Tickets: $20 General Admission, $17 Member, $15 child (age 14 or younger)

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