Soft-Shell Production of the Invasive Atlantic Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus in the Lesina Lagoon (SE Italy): A First Assessment

Author:

Cilenti Lucrezia1ORCID,Lago Nicola2ORCID,Lillo Antonio Oscar34,Li Veli Daniel5,Scirocco Tommaso6,Mancinelli Giorgio7ORCID

Affiliation:

1. National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA), 71121 Foggia, Italy

2. Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), 35020 Legnaro, Italy

3. Metaponto Research Centre, Regional Agency for the Environmental Prevention and Protection of Basilicata (ARPAB), 75012 Metaponto, Italy

4. Environmental Research Foundation of Basilicata Region (FARBAS), 85100 Potenza, Italy

5. National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies (IRBIM), 60125 Ancona, Italy

6. National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies (IRBIM), 71010 Lesina, Italy

7. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy

Abstract

The current invasion of the Mediterranean Sea by the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus requires the implementation of effective strategies of control and management. In native areas, the species is highly appreciated as a hard- and soft-shell seafood, and hard-shell fisheries are developing in a number of invaded countries. Here, to verify alternative approaches for enhancing the commercial value of the species, we carried out a pilot experiment to test a flow-through system for the production of soft-shell blue crabs. Fifty crabs were collected in the Lesina lagoon (Adriatic Sea, Italy) and inspected for the coloration of the line on the distal edge of the fifth pereiopod. Accordingly, they were grouped into three groups showing no, white, and red lines, symptomatic of the progression of the pre-molt phase, and maintained for 31 days in a flow-through pond system. The overall mortality rate determined during the trial was similar across the three groups and ranged between 10 and 20%, indicating that the flow-through system was effective for rearing the crabs. In addition, the molting rate was 10%, 65%, and 85% for individuals at an early, intermediate, and advanced pre-molt stage, confirming that the line coloration can be used as an effective indicator of the advancement of the molting process. Our study provides the first contribution towards the introduction in the Mediterranean fishery sector of novel procedures and practices for the production of soft-shell blue crabs, which may represent a cost-effective strategy to enhance the capture and commercialization of this invasive species as a high-quality and valuable shellfish product.

Funder

PO FEAMP Italy Apulia Region

Publisher

MDPI AG

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