The blue crab blocks the production of clams in Porto Tolle, Veneto.
The 14 cooperatives of the Polesine Fishermen's Cooperative Consortium have decided, against their will, to suspend activity due to a total lack of product.
An almost obligatory choice because experts speak of an awakening of predation with the heat.
The news was reported to ANSA by Fedagripesca-Confcooperative which monitored the critical issues along the Po Delta.
"A choice that weighs heavily on us but is inevitable", says Luigino Marchesini, president of the Consortium, in asking for "the suspension of mortgages and resolve the social security issue" .
Before the arrival of the blue crab to collect the clams, the cooperatives alternated with each other, but unlike in the past when 330 quintals were caught, they managed to harvest 7-8 quintals.
The situation is also critical in Emilia Romagna, between Goro and Comacchio, where the cooperatives that work in areas where the water is lower try to protect the sowing of juvenile fish with fences.
And just in view of spring, fishermen confirm that in the last few days the crabs are starting to move a lot.
"Climate changes make it complicated to make hypotheses on the behavior of this species which still needs to be studied extensively - explains Mattia Lanzoni, researcher in ecology at the University of Ferrara - capable of creating colonies in the sea up to 3 miles from the coast and in inland waters up to 120 kilometers from the mouth of rivers. In winter the predatory activity of the blue crab decreases and returns at full capacity with the heat".
Paolo Tiozzo, vice-president of Fedagripesca-Confcooperative, states that "given that to date we have lost over 70% of our clams, we must find a way to live with this new scenario to save the future of businesses and workers. And to do so we need to implement a two-pronged strategy step: reduce the blue crab as much as possible through a massive collection and disposal action and at the same time launch a study that will allow us to collect useful information to design management scenarios for this emergency".
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