Blue Crab, the expert:“It's just the beginning, it lays eggs by the millions and targets fresh waters”

The predator feared by fishermen seems to be evolving and the search needs to be updated, "send us reports"

BOLOGNA – Is the blue crab that devours Adriatic clams and mussels undermining maritime economies and ecosystems?What we have seen so far”It's just the tip of the iceberg:the females are in fact laying millions of eggs“.And, now, the animal seems at ease even in fresh water or almost so.Notify me like this Fabio Collepardo Coccia, biologist of the University Consortium for Socioeconomic and Environmental Research-Cursa, today speaking at the national conference "Protection of biodiversity - Counteracting invasive alien species", promoted by Legambiente in collaboration with Life Green4Blue and the Rhenish Land Reclamation Consortium.

“NEW LINES OF RESEARCH NEED TO BE DEFINED”

Collepardo Coccia explains:“We've caught and measured a lot of blue crabs so far, and we're about to publish a big national paper on the topic.It would still be necessary to study it, because we are not understanding well how the blue crab moves:often, males and females move separately and therefore should be tracked. It is necessary - advises the expert - to sit down and define lines of research aimed at defining in detail the biological cycle of this animal“.
Of course, a lot of attention is needed:“From what I have learned in these years of study, I say that - assures the biologist - we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg regarding the blue crab.Let's consider that this year I personally collected productive females, with eggs, from the end of April to today. Each female has the potential ability to lay up to two million eggs.So, let's imagine what could happen in the future“.

“NOW THE ANIMAL ALSO MOVES IN FRESHWATER”

But Collepardo Coccia continues:“This species must be studied and explored in depth throughout its biological cycle, which is why reports are very important and we ask that they continue:tell us if you see it.Also because, in reality, we are now discovering it even in almost fresh waters. The blue crab is able to move between freshwater and saltwater, given that it tolerates a broad spectrum of salinity, even if deposition is in the sea."
This is why, in all of this, "being able to understand well how this animal lives, thanks to the reports that we are collecting, will provide us with tools that could be useful to combat it", insists the biologist.Collepardo Coccia, in conclusion, corrects some indications from this period:“Continuing to eat the blue crab, as we are doing, will not be enough” to combat it and make it less dangerous.“And not even there fishing trawling will serve, although it has been recommended here and there:it is not a feasible measure, given that it destroys ecosystems", points out the expert.