Italians enter uneasy truce with invasive blue crabs, exporting crustaceans they won’t eat

Italian fishermen have reached an uneasy compromise with invasive Atlantic blue crabs, exporting the crustaceans they once incinerated. The blue crabs, blamed for decimating prized Manila clams, were the target of a two-year eradication program. However, few Italians had a taste for the alien predator.

Experiments to control the crabs, including the release of octopus predators, have not been successful. The fishermen's cooperative saw a 75% revenue drop to 15 million euros ($17 million) in 2024 and 2025. In desperation, they began exporting the unwanted crabs to preserve the Manila clams and mussel industry.

The strategy has been successful; the cooperative sold every crab this year, generating an estimated 20 million euros ($23 million) in revenue. Fishermen like Federico Zago, who saw his income plummet, now sell cages of crabs from his traditional fishing cabin in the Scardovari lagoon.

Climate change created ideal conditions for the blue crabs' explosion, with higher water temperatures and drought-driven drops in the Po River's levels allowing sea water to infiltrate freshwater tributaries. Despite efforts to control the invasive species, their numbers remain high due to their rapid reproduction.