2023-08-22 09:17:26
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The blue crab causes big problems in Italy. (Archive image) © Collage: dpa/Bernhard Lang // Ingo Wagner/Imago
The blue crab is causing major problems on Italy’s Adriatic coast. After even the government launched an appeal, the plague is now supposed to become a source of income.
Rimini – The blue crab is no longer new to European waters. And as early as 2021 there was talk of an “invasion in the Mediterranean”. Nevertheless, the gluttonous animal has developed into a real nuisance for Italy, especially in the now more heated seawater. Now they want to make a treat out of the fishermen’s scourge – and even export it on a large scale.
The blue crab, also known as the blue swimming crab, is native to the western Atlantic and can be found on the Atlantic coasts of North and South America. However, the animal was introduced to Europe in the course of the 20th century and lives mainly in the estuaries of rivers and in shallow coastal waters.
Blue crab in Italy: “Killer of the seas” overruns Italy’s coast
The problem: The blue crab also has the meaningful nickname “killer of the seas”. It eats mussels, fish roe and other aquatic life. The crab has now found a new home in the heated Mediterranean waters of the Adriatic coast – especially because of the sandy soil around Rimini. And in this country, of course, there are no predators like them Ansa reported. The plague is particularly bad this year because the animals have increased in number in comparison. An exact cause is still being researched.
The blue crab causes big problems in Italy. (Archive image) © Ingo Wagner/Imago
The animals are now a major threat, especially for mussel farms and fishermen, as the blue crabs also attack fish and cut up fishing nets. “The activities of small fishermen in Italy are in danger,” warns the president of the Coldiretti agricultural association loudly heute.at. The animals do not actually pose any danger to humans themselves. However, it is better to avoid the blue crab in large numbers, because then, according to the report, they can behave aggressively.
Blue crab is becoming a problem in Italy: the government is distributing emergency aid
How big the problem is in Italy can also be seen from the fact that the government has released 2.9 million euros in emergency aid for mussel producers shaken by the shrimp plague.
Incidentally, the scientific name of the blue crab is Callinectes sapidus and that is exactly where the hoped-for solution to the problem lies. Because the name is made up of the parts kallos for “beautiful”, nektes for “swimmer” and sapidus for “tasty”.
Blue crab gluttonous – and “tasty”: Italy is looking for a culinary solution
The latter now wants to be used in Italy.
The first restaurants in Venice and Trieste have already put the blue crab on their menu. Italian politicians recognized the chance of a solution and openly appealed for other restaurateurs to follow. This turns the “scourge into a resource” like the Ansa reported. Because the blue crab from Italy is now even exported. In Emilia-Romagna, a company from Rimini has started exporting the animals to the USA, more precisely to Miami. The first container with 15 tons of semi-finished crustaceans is already on its way to American plates.
Leading the venture is Mariscadoras, which is investigating the potential gastronomic benefits of invasive species. Now the blue crab is to be turned into pulp and sauces in Mestre.
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The University of Bologna is also studying the shell of the blue crab, which is particularly rich in calcium and magnesium. Here, too, one tries to identify a processing potential – and thus to make a virtue out of necessity.
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