"Spending 4.2 Billion Won to Throw Away? Let's Eat It Ourselves" Italian Blue Crab Becoming Soy Sauce Marinated Crab in Korea

Italy's Ecosystem Disruption... Struggling to Eradicate

Italy, where the "blue crab (scientific name Portunus pelagicus)" is hated for "destroying the marine ecosystem," has decided to import it domestically. A company in Incheon has stepped into the formal import procedures.

According to SBS on the 9th, Lee Kang-hee, the representative of the importing company, has already inquired with the Italian Chamber of Commerce to find the most reliable local partner, aiming to be the first in Korea to explore this method.

'Blue Crab' Disrupting the Italian Coastal Ecosystem

Lee said, "Since it takes about a month and a half for the container to arrive, consumers in Korea will be able to access Italian blue crabs within this year."

Italian blue crabs are expected to be imported frozen and mainly distributed for use in soy sauce marinated crab dishes.

This crab, which mainly inhabits the North American Atlantic coast, is an invasive species that has entered the Mediterranean a few years ago and has recently caused serious damage to shellfish farms located on the northeastern coast of Italy over the past few months. It grows up to 1 kg, has a voracious appetite, and its claws are particularly sharp, tearing open and devouring shellfish shells indiscriminately.

Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, allocated a budget of 2.9 million euros (approximately 4.2 billion KRW) to combat the blue crab, promising rewards to those who capture and dispose of the crabs.

News that shellfish, mussel, and oyster farmers are facing closure due to the blue crab has spread to Korea, creating memes such as "Let's go eat the blue crabs and get the reward" and "Won't we be able to eat vongole pasta even if we go to Italy?"?jokes popular online.

Previously, Tunisia also struggled with a significant increase in blue crabs devouring seafood but overcame the crisis through exports. According to the Korea Fisheries Trade Association, Korea's blue crab imports in 2022 totaled 12,867 tons. Among these, 12,472 tons were from China, and the next largest volume was 163 tons imported from Tunisia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.