It could yet prove to be Ireland's Pearl Harbour, an invasion from the Orient spearheaded by a tide of eight-legged illegal immigrants. The omnivorous Japanese Crab, three centimetres of pincers and attitude, is the latest in a line of unwelcome saltwater hitch-hikers intent on "musseling" their way on to our food chain.
Free trade in the shellfish industry has opened the door to the free movement of other things as well, some of them small, nasty and over-legged. They bring with them the threat of new parasites and diseases, as well as acting as predators and competitors in the local ecosystem.
The Japanese Crab, which originated in the Pacific, has recently made a home for itself near the Ile de Oleron in France and is spreading rapidly along the French and Spanish coasts. Its unfussy eating habits and its natural ability to roam have allowed it to spread at the rate of 100 kilometres per year and achieve densities of 10-20 per square metre.
According to Dr Dan Minchin, of the Marine Institute, the Japanese crab is expected to set up home under a rock near you by the early years of the next century. The cunning crustacean stows away in a cargo of imported, halfgrown Pacific oysters, the crab equivalent of travelling first-class with a buffet.
"It's quite an aggressive little crab, even though it doesn't get to be very big," said Dr Minchin. "The males have quite large claws for the size of their bodies."
The Japanese Crab is the latest in a succession of marine globetrotters to exploit the opportunity to travel and meet new food offered by international shipping.
The Korean sea squirt, a bag-like creature which squirts water when squeezed, has been a resident of Cork Harbour since it found its way to Europe on ships returning from the Korean war.
The Marine Institute is advising importers to inspect consignments of oysters arriving from France. But previous marine visitors have not always enjoyed their Irish welcome.