The native distribution of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus extends in the Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Uruguay, and along the US coasts the blue crab supports an important fishery. It has been introduced to Europe at the beginning of the 20th century and to date the species is recorded almost ubiquitously in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, where it is starting to penetrate the southern European shellfish market. The present review carries out a pragmatic evaluation of the management scenarios for the Atlantic blue crab in southern European waters, including the Mediterranean and Black Sea and the eastern Atlantics coasts of the Iberian Peninsula. The double-fold nature of C. sapidus as both an invasive species and a fishery resource was considered with the following objectives: 1) to provide an updated assessment of the occurrence and abundance of population stocks in view of future commercial exploitation; 2) to identify different management scenarios and examine the potential of the blue crab as a shellfish product in European markets for alimentary and non-alimentary purposes. The review is concluded by a thorough appraisal of the current trends in global and European crustacean fisheries. The opportunity of using the on-going expansion of C. sapidus and other alien portunids of Indo-Pacific origin as management case studies is emphasized, harmonizing the need to control invasive species and mitigate their ecological impacts, and the opportunity to value them as new fishery resources
ON THE ATLANTIC BLUE CRAB (Callinectes sapidus RATHBUN 1896) IN SOUTHERN EUROPEAN COASTAL WATERS: TIME TO TURN A THREAT INTO A RESOURCE?
MANCINELLI, GIORGIO
Primo
Membro del Collaboration Group
2016-01-01
Abstract
The native distribution of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus extends in the Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Uruguay, and along the US coasts the blue crab supports an important fishery. It has been introduced to Europe at the beginning of the 20th century and to date the species is recorded almost ubiquitously in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, where it is starting to penetrate the southern European shellfish market. The present review carries out a pragmatic evaluation of the management scenarios for the Atlantic blue crab in southern European waters, including the Mediterranean and Black Sea and the eastern Atlantics coasts of the Iberian Peninsula. The double-fold nature of C. sapidus as both an invasive species and a fishery resource was considered with the following objectives: 1) to provide an updated assessment of the occurrence and abundance of population stocks in view of future commercial exploitation; 2) to identify different management scenarios and examine the potential of the blue crab as a shellfish product in European markets for alimentary and non-alimentary purposes. The review is concluded by a thorough appraisal of the current trends in global and European crustacean fisheries. The opportunity of using the on-going expansion of C. sapidus and other alien portunids of Indo-Pacific origin as management case studies is emphasized, harmonizing the need to control invasive species and mitigate their ecological impacts, and the opportunity to value them as new fishery resourcesI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
