On the Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun 1896) in southern European coastal waters: Time to turn a threat into a resource?

The blue crab Callinectes sapidus is native to the coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, and along the US coasts the species supports an important fishery. The crab was introduced to Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. To date, the species is considered invasive and it has been extensively recorded in southern European waters (SEW), where it is starting to penetrate the shellfish market. Here, an integrated management strategy is proposed for the blue crab in SEW, including the Mediterranean and Black Sea and the eastern Atlantic coasts of the Iberian Peninsula. Taking as introductory examples two case studies represented by the red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus and the green crab Carcinus maenas, a framework of key issues is reviewed, considering the double nature of the species as invaders and shellfish products. A SWOT analysis is eventually presented for C. sapidus, in order to perform a state-of-the-art synthesis of the proposed scenario, highlighting the potential opportunities as well as the weaknesses related with the limited knowledge of the ecological and economic impact of the species in invaded habitats. The review is concluded by an appraisal of the current trends in global and European crustacean fisheries. The ongoing expansion of C. sapidus might represent a useful management case study, where the need to control an invasive species and mitigate its ecological impact can be harmonized with the opportunity to value it as a fishery resource.