Italians enter uneasy truce with invasive blue crabs, exporting crustaceans they won’t eat
Summary
Italian fishermen in the Po River Delta have faced problems due to invasive Atlantic blue crabs that harm local shellfish like Manila clams. Instead of destroying the crabs, fishermen have started exporting them to create a new source of income and protect their traditional seafood industry.Key Facts
- The invasive Atlantic blue crab has caused damage by eating local shellfish and harming the fishing industry in Italy’s Po River Delta.
- For two years, fishermen mostly burned the crabs to get rid of them because locals did not eat them.
- The Polesine Fishermen’s Cooperative Consortium saw its income fall by 75%, and the number of active members dropped from 1,500 to 850.
- Fishermen shifted their strategy to export the crabs, turning a problem into a business opportunity.
- This year, the cooperative expects to make 20 million euros (about $23 million) mostly from crab sales.
- The blue crab arrived in the Adriatic Sea in the 1940s via ships’ ballast water, but its numbers exploded only in 2023.
- Climate change contributed to the sudden increase in blue crab population.
- Efforts are ongoing to control the crab population, including releasing octopus predators.
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