Blue crab invasion cost Italy’s fishing industry £170m. Now 130,000 octopuses are fixing the issue
- Scientists from the University of Bologna have released 130,000 baby octopuses into Italian waters to combat an invasion of blue crabs.
- The invasive North American crustaceans have caused an estimated £170 million in damage to Italy‘s fishing industry by destroying nets and devouring shellfish stocks.
- Rising sea temperatures driven by climate change have fuelled the rapid growth of the blue crab population along the Adriatic coast.
- Researchers behind the Octo-Blu initiative describe the release as an experimental measure, hoping an adult octopus can consume up to four crabs a day.
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