VIDEO. Against the invasion of blue crabs, the solution would be in the plate

“I believe there are 1,000 times more than last year”, explains Jean-Claude Pons, eel fisherman. The blue crab is one of the most invasive species in the Mediterranean. Originally from the American coasts, it was accidentally introduced by the ballast water of commercial ships between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Initially in the form of larvae, the species has exploded over the years. “In the Canet pond, we went from a few individuals in 2019 to 14 tonnes in 2022. So, it competes with autochthonous species, native to the Mediterranean, such as other crustaceans, molluscs, fish”, confides Guillaume Marchessaux, researcher at the University of Palermo.

“Eating blue crab would be a civic gesture”

Because in addition to invading the waters, it causes real damage, due to its aggressiveness. It damages fishing equipment and kills fish: “We caught 20-30 kilos of eels in the pocket. Now none. With crabs, they no longer fit. And the only ones who come back are dead”, comments Yves Rougé, eel fisherman. For Guillaume Marchessaux, “consuming blue crab would be a civic gesture”.

In America, the species is highly valued, so much so that it is overfished. Far from our culinary culture, awareness of its consumption exists, in particular with certain chefs such as Jean Plouzennec, president of the Toques Blanches Roussillon-Occitanie who offers crab in the oven or in bisque.

This consumption implies a framework for fishing, more as a means of control than a sustainable one. “The objective is to determine which equipment, in which lagoon works best to catch the maximum number of blue crabs without fishing other species which would be by-catch”, book Guillaume Marchessaux. Since 2019, trapping methods have been tested with fishermen.