Italian scientists have released 130,000 baby octopuses along the coast of Emilia-Romagna to combat an invasion of blue crabs.
The project, reported by the Daily Telegraph, targets one of the Italian regions most severely affected by the influx of aggressive crustaceans. Researchers calculate that as the hatchlings grow into adults, each octopus will consume up to four blue crabs every day.
Dr Oliviero Mordenti of the University of Bologna explained that eating female crabs is key to controlling the population. He stated that a single female blue crab can produce 1.5 million to two million eggs, so every crab eaten by an octopus removes millions of potential offspring from the ecosystem.
The University of Bologna, located in northern Italy, is one of the oldest academic institutions in the world and carries out extensive marine biology research in the region.
Devastating impact on Italian fisheries
Blue crabs were accidentally introduced to the Italian coast several decades ago. Having no natural predators in the Mediterranean, their population has expanded to tens of millions.
The crabs tear fishing nets and feed heavily on local shellfish, including clams and mussels. According to the agricultural organization Coldiretti, the species has caused approximately £170 million in financial damage to Italian fisheries.
Coldiretti is Italy's main agricultural and farming association, representing producers and seafood workers across the country.
Culinary efforts and octopus encounters
While scientists focus on biological control through octopuses, Italian authorities are urging residents to assist by eating the blue crabs. The crustaceans are now sold in supermarkets and fish shops, and local restaurants have added them to menus in pasta dishes and salads.
The initiative comes alongside other recent reports of octopus behavior making news internationally. Off the coast of the Philippines, fisherman Jesser Cervantes was forced to use a bamboo pole to push away an aggressive octopus that attacked his vessel, an encounter captured on video.
