With the invasive blue crab threatening the existence of native fish stocks and the livelihoods of fishermen, Venetians have decided to get rid of the invaders by… eating them.
With more and more international commerce, invasive species are being inadvertently carried around the world and can destroy natural fauna, the habitats of native species, and even affect local economies. One such case is the blue crab, normally found in the Gulf of Mexico; it is now taking over off the coast of Venice in Italy and eating up the local fish.
Locals have now decided to fight back by sticking the crab on its restaurant menus.
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As the crabs are prolific reproducers, predatory on fish, and currently have no natural predators to keep their numbers under control, they have been causing havoc with the eel population, clams, and mussels, threatening Italy’s fishing industry and local cuisine as a whole.
Invasive blue crab, faster, stronger and with no natural predators
One Italian fisherman described the blue crab like a villain from a science-fiction movie, saying, ‘It is aggressive; fast; it is an animal of incredible intelligence. We are fighting this blue crab invader, but it is stronger than us because of the sheer numbers of them.’
At a loss for what to do about the crabs, Italians have now decided to integrate them more into their cuisine.
Several events have been held to promote blue crab meat and encourage Italian consumers to eat more of the pests. Given that a lot of Italian cuisine is already filled with fishy ingredients, it hasn’t been difficult to persuade consumers to introduce the crab into their diets.
At one recent event, the menu included rosemary crab salad, crab Venetian-style (with onion and vinegar), and pasta with garlic-tossed crab. Rarely has a solution to an invasive species sounded so delicious.
Tags: Blue crabs, invasive species