Italian authorities warned that predatory blue crabs are invading Italian fishing communities in the country's north, threatening the economy of entire areas, The Guardian reported.

The crab, which originated on the coasts of North and South America, has expanded over many lagoon-like sites in Italy over the last year, feasting on local shellfish and threatening the country's position as one of the world's leading clam producers, the news website indicated.

"We need people in Rome to understand that this disaster is putting at risk the lives of thousands of families and businesses," the governor of Emilia-Romagna, Stefano Bonaccini, stressed on Monday after a summit.

He underlined that "this invasion risks destroying an economy which not only provides a livelihood for a community, but which is an Italian and European excellence, together with other identity products of this region like Parma ham or Parmigiano."

Fishing communities in impacted areas have been encouraged to catch as many blue crabs as possible in order to reduce their population. However, such attempts have been mainly ineffectual in the Po River delta, The Guardian mentioned.

This year, 326 tonnes of the invasive species have been collected in Veneto, including 84 tonnes in Scardovari and 29 tonnes in Pila in August alone.

The fishers' group Fedagripesca-Confcooperative highlighted that the crabs have already cost around €100 million (£85 million) in economic harm in Italy as a whole, devouring up to 90% of immature clams in the Po delta, inflicting huge damage to future supply.

During a news conference last week, Veneto Governor Luca Zaia displayed to reporters two live blue crabs, saying they are "breaking everything and causing disasters."

In its normal habitat, the blue crab is a crucial food source for its natural predators such as rays and sharks. However, in Italy's north, it has no predators and is uncontrollably reproducing, killing the local species, The Guardian explained.

Coldiretti, an agricultural group, deemed the crabs' presence a "natural calamity" that threatened the future of 3,000 family businesses in the Po delta and urged for government assistance.

On its part, the Italian government has given €2.9 million to fishing cooperatives in order to limit the crab population. According to The Guardian, Rome is also following another strategy: pushing Italians to include crabs on their menus. Now, fishermen have begun to sell them to individuals or stores for €8 a kg.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni uploaded a photo of herself and Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida eating blue crabs at their summer vacation farmhouse in Puglia over the weekend.

However, not all sides agree with the government's strategy. On Monday, Gianmichele Passarini, the president of Cia-Agricoltori Italiani Veneto, explained in a statement, "Fighting such a widespread emergency that is causing thousands of fishermen to struggle with a cookbook is wrong."

"We need a serious programme to control the blue crab in our waters. It is a mere illusion to hope to eradicate this species in the short to medium term," Passarini stressed.

Experts suggest that the blue crab arrived in Italian waters as a result of shipping and international commerce, after being mistakenly put onto huge cargo ships as they gather ballast water, which is frequently thrown into the Mediterranean without being treated, as per The Guardian. This allowed the crabs to spread to other places.