Atlantski plavi rak poharao deltu Po — ribari izgube prihode, traže nove karijere

U lagunama delte reke Po atlantski (američki) plavi rak brzo se širi i uništava nasade manila školjki — ključnu izvor prihoda za lokalne ribare. Priče žena poput Oscarine Soncin i Giovanne Pizzo, koje su decenijama zarađivale vašu život skupljajući školjke, ilustriraju kako invazivni rak menja ekonomski i društveni pejzaž ovog priobalnog regiona.

Šta se tačno dogodilo?

Do 2023. ribari u Skardovari su redovno izvlačili više od četiri funte školjki dnevno. U roku od nekoliko godina plavi rak je razornih razmera: u laguni Skardovari godišnji ulovi školjki pali su za oko 93%, dok je u Goru proizvodnja opala otprilike 70% u 2024. godini.

Zašto su rakovi eksplodirali?

Naučnici ukazuju na više faktora: uvoz jaja i larvi preko pomorskog saobraćaja, ekstremne vremenske prilike (suša 2022. i poplave 2023.) i postepeno toplije Mediteransko more. Toplije zime i duži periodi pogodniji za razmnožavanje omogućili su da jedna ženka pomnoži milione jajnih klasa, što je dovelo do ubrzanog rasta populacije.

Koliki je obim problema?

Prema podacima, ulovi plavog raka u delti Po porasli su sa oko 200 tona na oko 2.000 tona između 2022. i 2024. (rast od približno 900%). Italijanska vlada je uložila najmanje 10 miliona evra u mere hvatanja, uklanjanja i zaštitne infrastrukture, ali stručnjaci upozoravaju da je istrebljenje verovatno nemoguće.

Kako se lokalna zajednica prilagođava?

Mnogi ribari (preko 600, približno 40% članova lokalnog konzorcijuma) su odustali od tradicionalnog branja školjki i promenili zanimanje. Drugi pokušavaju da se prilagode: hvataju rakove i prodaju ih lokalnim prerađivačima ili novim partnerima za izvoz. Primer je partnerstvo s kompanijom Taprobane Seafoods, koja pomaže u preradi i plasmanu raka na međunarodno tržište.

„More može mnogo da da, ali i sve da uzme — i to mi se upravo dogodilo,“ kaže Oscarina Soncin, koja je zbog smanjenih ulova napustila branje školjki i sada radi van vode.

Problemi i dileme

Iako je meso plavog raka cenjena delikatesa u SAD, u Italiji je malo rasprostranjeno zbog asocijacije sa štetom po lokalnu ekonomiju i zbog dodatnog posla pri čišćenju i pripremi. Veće količine raka snižavaju cenu na lokalnom tržištu i otežavaju profitabilnost, zbog čega se veliki deo ulova koristi za hranu za životinje ili izvozi uz pomoć stranih partnera.

Zaključak

Invazija plavog raka u delti Po pokazuje kako klimatske promene i globalni transport mogu brzo promeniti lokalne ekosisteme i urušiti tradicionalne izvore prihoda. Rešenja koja su do sada primenjena—hvatanje, zaštitne mreže, promocija konzumacije i izvoz—pomažu delimično, ali nisu eliminisala problem. Budućnost ribarstva u ovom regionu zavisiće od kombinacije upravljanja staništem, tržišnih inovacija i prilagođavanja zajednice.

Chiara Vallati with her mother, Barbara Tesserin, and her aunt, Giovanna Tesserin, in their family boathouse. Trained as a chef, Chiara returned to clam fishing during the Covid-19 pandemic when restaurants were closed. Barbara and Giovanna became fisherwomen in the 1990s, following their mother, one of the first women in the area to fish. In 2024, the family gave up their fishing license after invasive blue crabs destroyed local clam beds. - Chiara Negrello

The Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum), native to the northwestern Pacific, was introduced to Italy in the early 1980s to compensate for the decline of native species. At its peak, the industry produced up to 55,000 metric tons a year, tying local livelihoods to a single non-native species. - Chiara Negrello

In 2024, the arrival of the blue crab forced Barbara and Giovanna Tesserin to leave fishing behind, bringing a long family tradition to an abrupt halt. - Chiara Negrello

The Po Delta, where Italy's longest river meets the Adriatic Sea, has long sustained local communities through fishing, shellfish farming and small-scale agriculture. Today, this fragile environment faces growing pressure as climate change alters water temperatures and marine conditions. - Chiara Negrello

The Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), native to the western Atlantic Ocean, had been present in the Po Delta for decades before its population increased sharply in 2023. The crabs tolerate wide ranges of temperature and salinity and lack natural predators in the delta, allowing them to reproduce quickly. Since the boom, the species has devastated the clam harvesting industry. - Chiara Negrello

Giovanna Pizzo turned to clam fishing after the collapse of the local textile industry. For the last 20 years, she fished for clams alongside her friend Oscarina Soncin. In 2024, she gave up her fishing license after clam stocks collapsed. She now works at a seafood processing plant. - Chiara Negrello

The clam fisherwomen wear thermal suits to protect against the winter cold and shifting tides in the lagoon. - Chiara Negrello

Serenella Binatti began fishing for clams in 1989 using the rasca, a traditional hand-operated tool that limited damage to the lagoon bed. Binatti belongs to one of the last generations to have worked the lagoon this way. - Chiara Negrello

A cloud of mud rises from the lagoon floor. This fine, oxygen-rich sediment allows clams to burrow, filter nutrients and survive beneath the surface. However, the same soft ground also creates ideal conditions for the invasive blue crab, which digs into the seabed to prey on clams. - Chiara Negrello

Barbara and Giovanna Tesserin care for their mother, who passed away shortly before the arrival of the blue crab. They say they are grateful she did not have to witness the devastation the crabs brought to their work and way of life. - Chiara Negrello

The Polesine Camerini power plant sits at the edge of the Po Delta, above a lagoon once rich in clams. Built in the 1980s, it promised economic growth but embedded heavy industry in a fragile ecosystem. Today, facing climate instability, the plant symbolizes an era when development came at the expense of ecological balance. - Chiara Negrello

Former fisherwoman Giovanna Pizzo spent 20 years working alongside her friend Oscarina Soncin. Pizzo now works at Regnoli, a historic seafood processing company, after giving up her fishing license following the collapse of clam stocks. - Chiara Negrello

Stefania Marchesini is the only cook in the Scardovari area specializing in blue crab. While many locals reject the invasive species, Marchesini invested time and resources to learn how to prepare it safely, even buying a nitrogen blast freezer and collaborating with a biologist to meet food safety standards. - Chiara Negrello

Former fisherwomen Serena Farabotin and Oscarina Soncin sit in the car before going home after work. The two women met after both were forced to leave the water by the blue crab crisis. Today, they work together in a cleaning company, their new friendship shaped by a place where people have long relied on one another to face loss and uncertainty. - Chiara Negrello

Part of a new generation of fisherwomen, Angela Franceschetti still harvests clams, but blue crabs have gradually become her main source of income. Franceschetti chose to adapt and learn new techniques. For her, being a fisherwoman means responding to what the water provides. - Chiara Negrello

Angela Franceschetti, 28, repairs a fishing net. She never believed clams could be her only source of income and learned to fish and farm other shellfish as well. - Chiara Negrello

Representatives from the Sri Lankan company Granchio Blu Trading check the size and weight of crabs, processing them for sale on the global market. - Chiara Negrello

An old clam sifter belonging to a fisherwoman, left behind and no longer in use. - Chiara Negrello