Octopus recruits join the fight against Adriatic's blue crabs

Italian scientists are releasing thousands of tiny octopuses into the Adriatic in an experimental effort to curb the invasive blue crab that has devastated local fisheries, according to a report this week. The Atlantic blue crab, a North American species that arrived in the Mediterranean in recent years, has spread rapidly along Italy's coasts, feeding on clams, mussels and other commercially vital shellfish.

The release, conducted from a fishing trawler, is part of a broader attempt to use natural predators rather than traps or chemicals to control the crab population. Researchers hope the young octopuses will grow and prey on the crabs as they mature, restoring some balance to an ecosystem that has been thrown into disorder by the invader.

The blue crab's advance has hit the Adriatic's shellfish industry hard, with harvests falling sharply in recent seasons. The species thrives in the warm, shallow waters of the Adriatic, and its appetite for native bivalves has made it a direct competitor with the region's fishermen.