Climate shifts are directly affecting dinner plates around the Mediterranean, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
What's happening?
Increasing temperatures and pollution have obliterated biodiversity in the lagoon waters surrounding Venice, Italy.
"At least 80 percent of species have gone," said local fisherman Domenico Rossi, per Smithsonian Magazine.
One species in particular, the green soft-shelled crab, has seen yields drop by half in the past three years. This has prevented Venetians from cooking up moeche, a delicacy dating back to the 1700s.
Why are crabs important?
Experts have indicated that higher surface temperatures and heavy rains, which alter salinity, have had the greatest impact on the decline of green crabs in the Venetian Lagoon. These conditions have also provided opportunities for invasive species, such as the warty comb jelly, and for a new predator, the blue crab.
"It's the first year that I find zero moeche," said Rossi, per Smithsonian Magazine. "All I find in my nets is blue crabs and some date mussels."
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The smaller catches have caused a spike in prices. Soft-shelled green crabs used to sell for €60 per kilogram six years ago and now go as high as €150.
Invasive species, once freed of the checks and balances of their native habitats, have the potential to outcompete native animals in their new homes and establish monopolies over vital resources. Studies suggest that invasive species incur economic costs of hundreds of billions of dollars worldwide every year.
The larger blue crabs, for example, have been steadily destroying the lagoon's clam populations, not to mention predating green crabs.
What's being done about blue crabs?
Italian authorities have already declared a state of emergency due to the spread of blue crabs and are actively encouraging fishermen and restaurants to catch and eat them.
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$200 or more 💰 "Moeche of blue crab taste better in my opinion," said local chef Francesco Brutto, who had swapped the key ingredient. "There is more pulp compared with green crab."
If you're looking to make a difference, try cutting back on seafood to give marine ecosystems time to adapt to rapidly shifting conditions and predators.
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