The high price paid by the fishing sector due to the invasion of the blue crab, the “killer of the seas” that devastates clam and mussel farms but also wipes out oysters, clams, other crustaceans and fish such as sole and grey mullet, risks doubling if no measures are taken. This is the assessment drawn up by Coldiretti Impresa at the Villaggio di Venezia, where for the occasion an exhibition of the species most at risk due to the invasion of the blue crab was set up, while the chefs, fishermen and farmers of Campagna Amica have prepared a series of recipes to enhance the fearsome predator in the kitchen, with capture for consumption being the most valid solution today to address the problem.
In Puglia the coasts are at risk, from the Lesina and Varano lagoons – says Coldiretti Puglia – to the retrodunal basins of Salento, with damage to the ecosystem, but above all to the paranza fishing, decimated and made unsellable by the attacks of the alien crab. The blue crab, the alien species native to the Atlantic coasts of America, is taking over the seabed of the Adriatic coasts – underlines Coldiretti regionale – driven by climate change from the warming of the waters that have made our environments more suitable for its survival and proliferation. A solution to contain the excessive spread of the crab could be its fishing for consumption. In this way – continues Coldiretti – it would be possible to transform what is today a calamity into an opportunity, with the inclusion in the zero km menus, starting from the activities of fish tourism, fishing tourism and agritourism on the coast, in compliance with territorial regulations. The blue crab boasts important nutritional properties, thanks to a strong presence of vitamin B12, extremely precious for the human body but also has a delicate and tasty flavor. The prices for those who want to buy it are around ten euros per kilo. But there is also – adds Coldiretti Puglia – the reuse of blue crab waste, from which for example chitin and chitosan are extracted, substances widely used for biomedical and nutraceutical purposes such as in food supplements.
A sector that could acquire ever greater importance considering that in 2022, globally, for the first time in history, aquaculture has surpassed capture fishing as the main sector of aquatic animal production, according to the latest report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Faced with the spread of what is listed by science among the worst invasive species introduced in the Mediterranean, with a very serious impact on lagoon ecosystems that is today only the “tip of the iceberg” of a real ecological catastrophe, the solution is to promote the consumption of blue crab, with the creation of a supply chain that involves fishing, large-scale distribution, restaurants and agritourism. At the Villaggio di Venezia, some blue crab-based dishes created by the imagination of the chefs, fishermen and farmers of Campagna Amica were presented. An opportunity that 54% of Italians agree with, according to the Coldiretti/Ixe’ survey presented for the occasion, between 8% who have already put a dish based on blue crab on their plate and 46% who would be willing to do so, while a similar 46% would not try them. The goal – concludes Coldiretti – is to help contain the excessive spread of crab, which is taking over the seabed of our coasts, identifying economic opportunities for the hard-hit territories.
