ARCHIVED - Atlantic blue crab threatens marine ecosystem along the coast of Valencia

The blue crab has been found between the mouth of the Ebro and Guardamar del Segura 

Researchers at the Gandía campus of the polytechnic university of Valencia (UPV) are studying a species of giant blue crab which appears to have spread to the Mediterranean, their aim being to establish how its invasion of European waters might be curbed.

Cannectes sapidus, the Atlantic blue crab, is a native of the western Atlantic, particularly the Chesapeake Bay, Louisiana and New Jersey, and is widely farmed for commercial purposes. However, it is also a voracious predator and a threat to native mollusc species of the Mediterranean such as cockles, jellyfish, cuttlefish, tellins and even some fish species, and its spread to the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean could have serious biological and economic repercussions.

For this reason Miguel Rodilla of the UPV has been attempting to locate specimens for the last two years, and since October last year, when one was found in the Albufera freshwater lagoon in Valencia, he reports that examples have been found all along the Mediterranean coast from the Ebro delta in Tarragona to Guardamar del Segura in the province of Alicante. Over twenty have come to light in the Albufera and local fishermen are reported to be worried, but the one being studied in depth at the moment was captured alive by fishermen in Gandía in May of this year

The Atlantic blue crab is known to adapt easily to different levels of salinity, to be resistant to pollutants and to be able to survive with very little oxygen. As well as the USA it is also farmed in Greece and Italy, and during its 3-year lifespan it can reach widths of over 20 centimetres.

Image Attribution: The Children's Museum of Indianapolis