Eating the invader
The price of the Atlantic blue crab, an invasive species in Spain, triggered after being discovered by the cooks.
The Delta del Ebro, an important wetland located in the south of Cataluña, defends itself from the Callinectes sapidus, which appeared five years ago, thanks to the fact that the restaurants in the area have discovered that it is a tasty ingredient for their well-known rice dishes.
“A while ago it was sold in the fish market at two euros a kilo, it currently reaches 10-12 euros per kilo”, a cook of San Carlos de la Rápida (Tarragona) says.
Throughout the year 2016, 1,000 kilos of blue crab were sold. In 2017, 1,000 kilos every month.
According to the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), this invasive species from the American Atlantic coast is already present along the Mediterranean coast from Murcia to the north of Tarragona.
Its high reproductive capacity and its voracious appetite make it a curse for the indigenous crab and for other native fauna such as mussels, shrimps and cuttlefish.
(Source: El País)