Octopus vs crab: How scientists are trying to battle the invasion of crustacean predators in the sea

Globalization has helped spread goods and ideas around the planet. But it has also brought with it unintended consequences such as invasive species, one of which is decimating the fishing industry in Italy.

The creature in question is the blue crab which is native to the western Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia down to southern Argentina. It’s believed to have arrived in ballast water of ships decades ago, but since 2023 the population of this particular crustacean has exploded.

The crab, which can grow to weigh over two pounds, has been especially destructive in the waters off the Po Delta. One industry group has put the cost of damage from the blue crab on the Italian fishing at over $230 million reports AFP.

It sports sharp, blue-tinted claws that it uses to pry open the shells of clams, mussels, and oysters as well as devouring other sea creatures it comes across. But the Italian government has begun deploying an underwater army that it hopes can turn the tables.

Unleashing the kraken: The ‘Octo-Blu’ project

The Emilia-Romagna region, which alone has suffered almost $20 million in damages from the blue crab since 2022 according to authorities, has launched and funded a program to fight off the American invader called the ‘Octo-Blu’ project. They hope to employ the common octopus, a powerful predatory of crustaceans, to reduce the blue crab population.

In the Adriatic port town of Cesenatico, a team from the University of Bologna has been raising octopus hatchlings which they began releasing in June. Some 80,000 baby octopus have since been deployed with plans to see that number double by the end of August.

To help these cephalopods thrive, artificial cement-and-clay dens have been laid on the seafloor near to underwater reefs where they were released. However, the researchers are aware that octopuses don’t typically inhabit warm, sandy waters like those found in the lagoon areas off the Po Delta where they are doing some of the most severe damage.

The team is also considering using seabass and eels to compliment the octopuses as they are voracious eaters of crustacean eggs.

If you can’t beat them, eat them? Venetians say no

Another way that blue crab numbers could be reduced is if fishermen were to actively try to catch them, and serve them up as food. The crab’s meat supports a multi-billion-dollar industry in the U.S. where it can sell for nearly $70 a pound. It is also a prized import in some Asian markets.

However, as Claudia Romero found when she spoke to fishmongers in Venice, no one wants blue crab on the menu. Furthermore, fishermen complaint that it breaks their equipment and tears through their nets.

But there are efforts underway, and it can take time to change people’s perceptions. As she noted many of the dishes that are considered traditional Italian cuisine today are not actually that old, so only time can tell.

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