“We need people in Rome to understand that this disaster is putting at risk the lives of thousands of families and businesses,” the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) heavyweight said.
“And its risks destroying an economy which not only provides a livelihood for a community, but which is an Italian and European excellence, together with other identity products of this region like Parma ham or Parmigiano”.
Fishing industry group Federagripesca estimates that more than 50 per cent of the shellfish production this year has been damaged.
Veneto, to the north, has already declared war on blue crabs, which are reportedly wrecking havoc on the local clam population in the Po delta area – clam being the key ingredient in Italian culinary staple, spaghetti alle vongole.
Veneto governor Luca Zaia showed reporters two live specimens during a recent press conference, claiming that the crustaceans “break everything and cause disasters”.
Approximately 326 tonnes of the aggressive invading species, originally from the western Atlantic, have already been harvested in Veneto this year, including 84 tonnes in Scardovari (Rovigo) and 29 tonnes in Pila just in August.
For many, it’s a case of: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
Farm lobby group Coldiretti and a range of fishing associations have launch a series of summer events attempting to introduce the American favourite to Italians.
Dishes on show have included rosemary crab salad; crab Venetian style (with onion and vinegar sour); and pasta with garlic-tossed crab.
But while some are encouraged by the explosion of the fast swimming, rapidly reproducing crab, ultimately, environmetally, they are a catastrophe in the making.
Experts say blue crabs attack juvenile fish, as well as eels, and they interrupt the food cycle of the fish because they also gorge on clams, mussels, and oysters.
As evidence the government is not taking the threat seriously enough, just €2.9 million (A$5 million) has been allocated to fight the invasion, with the problem now also including other types of fish farms in various parts of Italy.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni perhaps revealed how little she is worried about the potential disaster, posting a photo of herself and her brother-in-law, Farm Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, among others, eating blue crabs at their summer holiday farmhouse in Puglia at the weekend.
ANSA
