This invasive species threatens the ecosystem, destroys maritime fauna and jeopardizes the work of Italian fishermen. The government has just released funds and given the green light to the use of fishing gear to massively capture this killer crustacean.
2 mins
With our correspondent in Rome, Blandine Hugonnet
Crab hunting is open in Italy. For three months, Italian fishermen are entitled to an extraordinary permit to set up nets, traps and traps to exclusively and en masse capture this blue-clawed crab off the Italian coast. This was announced on Thursday by the Ministry of Agriculture, to fight against the proliferation of this invasive crustacean. Coming from America, it abounds on the coasts of La Botte, in the Mediterranean as in the Adriatic. This invasion would be accentuated by climate change.
It was the fishermen who sounded the alarm in Italy: this sea killer crab destroys almost everything in its path and thus threatens Italian fish farming. Mollusc and shellfish farmers in particular, who find the famous vongole, Italian clams. And without any predators, the species reproduces at full speed… On the coasts of Veneto, more than 320 tons have been fished in one year, reported Wednesday the president of the region Luca Zaia, who deplores ” a desaster and asked Rome to declare a state of emergency.
To compensate the fishermen on the front line faced with this blue crustacean and encourage its capture, the Italian government has released nearly 3 million euros. And even if it means eradicating it, you might as well taste it. In any case, this is the reflection of agricultural organizations and Italian cooks who now offer blue crab recipes to transform this scourge into a commercial and culinary opportunity. A first container of 15 tonnes left Italy this week for Florida, in the United States, where blue crab is a popular dish.