Italy’s blue crab invasion: If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em
POLITICO, October 2023
The sun was just coming up over the Sacca di Goro lagoon in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, when Marco Bellan and his wife Barbara hauled in a net teeming with squirming sea creatures — just not the kind they’re used to.
In the shallow waters of this expansive inlet, where the Po River drains into the Adriatic Sea, fishermen catch clams for Italy’s signature dish “spaghetti alle vongole” (spaghetti with clams), alongside mussels and oysters.
But this year, an unexpected — and decidedly unwelcome — addition joined the mix: blue crabs.
And this invasive interloper isn’t only harming the viability of the local economy — there are roughly 3,000 family-run fishing businesses in the area — it’s also posing a threat to the global supply of clams.
Originally from the bays and estuaries of the North Atlantic coast of the United States, the blue crab has crossed to the Mediterranean — likely hitching a ride in ballast water from cargo ships — and is spreading across several locations in Italy.
