MY NAME IS BLUE

​The invasion of the blue crab in Polesine lagoon

 

 

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In the lagoons of Polesine, between Goro and Porto Tolle, the losses of clam farms are more than 90%. The fishing cooperatives present in the area have lost many members and over half of the lagoon towns are continuously depopulating. Started as a family business, a tradition that is still passed down from father to son, this region today boasts high-level industrial production plants that have made it the largest exporter of clams in the world over the years.
    Between 2023 and 2024, however, the lagoon witnessed the uncontrolled spread of the blue crab, an alien species from the seas of Asia, which has devastated the clam farms as its favorite food. This crab dominates unchallenged as it has no natural predators in the lagoon.
     This has put into crisis not only the production chain of the farms, but also the related industries, such as the artisans who repair diving suits, the companies that produce ice and the shipyards themselves.
      In recent years, the Istituto Zooprofilattico delle Venezie has been studying the alien species and is profiling a pathogen that could wipe out a good part of the population present in the lagoon. In the meantime, fishermen are making do with temporary solutions, such as setting up protective nets to lower to the bottom to protect the clams. Some companies, even with many sacrifices, are trying to set up a production line on the blue crab, even if for now the cost per kilo does not provide profit margins to make it a profitable investment.