Spaghetti “alle vongole” threatened by an invasive crab species

Spaghetti with clams, an iconic Italian dish, is under threat from an invasive species of crab. The entire economy linked to the shellfish is being undermined, with at least 3,000 jobs at stake.

Will spaghetti alle vongole disappear from Italian restaurant menus? Vongole, or clams in French, are threatened by a predator, the blue crab, which is decimating this shellfish renowned in the country. For the past year, fishermen of this mollusc have been in great difficulty. Production is down by 70 to 80%.

Sonny brings the morning’s catch to the harvest point, he only picked up blue crabs. “I took 400 kg of clams, there are none left, the crabs ate them”laments the fisherman who works in one of the main production areas, in Scardovari in the Po Delta in Veneto. Of the nearly 1,500 people working in the area, 80% are on technical unemployment: “We have had no income for a year and a half, how can we get by?”Angelo wonders. The other fishermen harvest the crab, to reduce the population and earn some income, but a small part is sold.

The first larvae of this species from America arrived in the holds of ships. The population grew, before exploding in the last two years in the brackish waters that this crab likes. “There was a drought, the salt level in the rivers increased and then after two years there was heavy rain and the crabs moved into the lagoon where they found plenty of food,” explains Sasa Raiceivich from the environmental research organization Ispra. The scientist speaks of a correlation with climate change, “Research must continue before talking about a direct cause”he adds.

To supplement the poor clam fishing in the lagoon, a farming platform has been set up. Aluminum containers are lined up with clam larvae inside. “They come from Italy or France, they are placed in large drums, they develop for two months and they are put back in the lagoon”in covered areas to protect them, explains Davide Baroni, from the fishermen’s consortium.

While waiting for this last resort to produce results, the fishermen are demanding compensation from the special commissioner appointed this summer in this matter. Two million euros initially.