An army of octopus have been released in Italian waters to tackle a destructive influx of blue crabs. The invasive crustaceans are thought to have been accidentally introduced to the Adriatic coast decades ago after travelling long distances in ships’ ballast water. Blue crabs, which originate from the North American Atlantic Ocean, have destroyed Italy’s fishing industry.
The blue-clawed critters wreck fishing nets and have eaten eel, clam and mussel stocks, causing an estimated damage of £170million. The government has previously been encouraged to declare a state of emergency over the invasion and attempts to manage the situation have not been successful. But now, a “formidable predator” has been introduced to the coast along Emilia-Romagna, one of the hardest hit regions in Italy.
Bred in captivity by scientists from the University of Bologna, 130,000 baby octopuses (Octopus vulgaris) have been released to tackle the mushrooming blue crab population, which typically has few natural predators. Antonio Casalini, one of the researchers on the Octo-Blu initiative, told AFP: “We chose the octopus because, in the wild, it is a formidable predator of crustaceans.” Another researcher Laura Gentile told The Independent the programme is an “experimental measure” and “not a solution” to the problem. But she said: “We've also seen sub-adult octopuses actively going after blue crabs, including some fairly large ones, around 400 to 500 grams.
The exact number of crabs across Italian coastlines is unknown, but it’s thought to be in the millions. A female blue crab can lay up to two million eggs a day, most of which hatch, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Climate change has pushed up sea water temperatures, which caused the blue crab population to explode a few years ago.
Gentile said the team is researching other initiatives to tackle the invasion, including harvesting blue crab eggs and using them to feed European eels. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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