Posted on 08/21/2023 11:11:30 AM PDT by Red Badger
A cast of blue crabs, an invasive species in Italy's waters originally from the Americas [Screenshot/The Associated Press]
A voracious marine species alien to Italy has invaded the country’s waters, preying on a vast range of marine life including clams, Italy’s prized sea produce, according to a video published by the Associated Press (AP).
The blue crabs displayed their characteristic sea-blue pincers and tenacious grip as fishermen hauled them up, the AP video showed. The invasive crab species can be seen swiftly and easily prying clams open and devouring anything they can find. This disruption causes significant damage to the Italian marine ecosystem and fishing industry, according to the report in the footage.
Fishermen working in Tuscany’s Orbetello Lagoon leave their nets in the water overnight, expecting to catch sea bream, sea bass and eels; however, by morning they find they have caught thousands of blue crabs, per the video.
“He is aggressive, he is fast, he is an animal of unacceptable intelligence. We fight this blue crab, but he is stronger than us, there are so many of them,” said Mario Giudici, a concerned Italian fisherman, to AP.
Italy, the largest producer of clams in Europe and the third largest in the world, has allocated €2.9 million (about $3.15 million) to fight the invasion, per the video. The country reportedly loses over 50% of its clam, mussel and oyster production to the invasive blue crab.
The blue crabs, native to the American coast, reportedly made their way to Italy’s waters and other parts of the world — possibly via ships — finding new homes in the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas. While the Italian government intends to fight a fiscal battle against the invasive species, Italians have already resorted to waging culinary wars on the crabs, serving them up with pasta, the AP video showed.
The omnivorous “beautiful savory swimmer(s),” as their scientific name implies, are the most valuable fishery in the Chesapeake Bay, per the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, also known as NOAA Fisheries. The states of Maryland and Virginia monitor the crabs’ population each year.
Although the crabs weigh about one-third of a pound, their edible parts constitute a low percentage of that weight, NOAA Fisheries added.
We had one in our aquarium we caught in my cast net when he was the size of a quarter.
By the time he was full grown, we could not keep him in the aquarium, even with wire cloth across the top.
We finally took him to the bay and let him go..............
Quick! Grab the butter sauce!
“possibly via ships”
Yes, just like the Zebra Muscle took over the whole Great Lakes. Apparently, they came over from the Black Sea attached to the hulls of freighter ships.
Maybe the Italians need to learn about OLD BAY Seasonings.
Look a little below the surface and the sea has a lot to worry about....
Oh no! The Eurotrash are faced with an unwanted, bountiful harvest of delicious crab and a new, valuable fishery.
Stunned am I. Shocked. I was fully expecting to a reference to global warming or climate change as the cause of the nefarious antics of the Italian blue crabs. Did I not read far enough?
Those are just immigrant crabs looking for a better life
Italians also have an introduced plant that now figures into their cuisine - Tomatoes.
Work Blue Crabs into the cuisine. I’m sure they can do something tasty with them.
Apparently the Italians have never heard of ‘Soft-Shell Crab’.......but they soon will................
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft-shell_crab
Send a few Cajun and Creole Chefs over there and all will be fine....................
Problem Solved.
The have newspaper there right?
VECCHIA STAGIONATURA DELLA BAIA
We could tell the Italian people shine a flashlight into the water and have food for dinner in 15 minutes... just scope ‘em out of the water.
Maybe the Italians need to learn about OLD BAY Seasonings.
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Buy stock in McCormick & Co.!
I’m fond of linguini with white clam sauce, but I’ll bet that white crab sauce would be at least as good.
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