Italy has decided to import ‘blue crab’ (scientific name Portunus pelagicus ) , which is hated in Italy for being “destroying the marine ecosystem.” A company in Incheon has begun formal import procedures. According to SBS
on the 9th , Lee Kang-hee, the representative of this import company, has queried the Italian Chamber of Commerce in order to first find a way (in Korea) to find the most reliable local partner.
Representative Lee said, “It takes about a month and a half for the container to arrive, so consumers will be able to experience Italian crab in Korea within this year.”
Blue crabs from Italy are imported in frozen form and are expected to be distributed mainly for soy sauce crab sauce.
This crab, which mainly lives on the Atlantic coast of바카라 North America, is an invasive species that was introduced to the Mediterranean Sea several years ago and has been causing serious damage to shellfish farms located on the northeastern coast of Italy in recent months. They are so good at eating that they grow up to 1kg, and their tongs are so sharp that they tear off any shell they find and eat them.
Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, allocated a budget of 2.9 million euros (approximately 4.2 billion won) to eradicate blue crabs and announced that he would pay rewards to those who catch and dispose of blue crabs.
The news that clam, mussel, and oyster farmers are on the verge of going out of business due to blue crabs spread throughout Korea, leading to memes such as “Let’s go eat the blue crabs and get a reward” and “You can’t eat Vongole pasta even if you go to Italy” (online) A popular joke has even been created.
Previously, Tunisia also suffered from a large increase in the number of blue crabs that eat fish and shellfish, but this crisis was overcome through exports. According to the Korea Fisheries Trade Association, Korea’s blue crab imports in 2022 were 12,867 tons. Of these, 12,472 tons are from China, and the next largest volume is 163 tons of blue crabs from Tunisia.