As invasive species continue to reshape aquatic ecosystems across Europe, the Interreg North Sea project Clancy is stepping up to offer ecological and economic solutions. On 17-18 June 2025, Dr. Pieter Boets of the Provincial Centre of Environmental Research (Province of East-Flanders) represented Clancy at the Eurofish International Conference: Predators and Invasive Species – A Threat or a Business Opportunity in Tallinn, Estonia.
Spotlight on the Chinese mitten crab
Dr. Boets gave a talk on “Invasive species in the North Sea and surrounding waters”, where he also explained the Clancy project and the management of the Chinese mitten crab. The species is known for its disruptive spring migration and is captured through Clancy’s monitoring efforts.
Conference highlights
During the conference, several alien and native invasive species were brought to the attention of the participants, and management solutions to eradicate or at least control their numbers were proposed and discussed. Several species, such as cormorants and seals, which are not seen as problematic in Belgium, are considered invasive species in Northern Europe, such as Estonia and Denmark. Shooting was considered an effective method to reduce their numbers.
Afterwards several business opportunities, such as introducing them into the food chain or using the fur as clothing material, were proposed. Also for the alien species such as crabs or jellyfish, market values could be deducted from using them as food for humans or pets. The latter could also be worth investigating for the Chinese mitten crab since within Clancy large numbers of juvenile crabs are caught during spring migration.
Balancing economy and ecology
Although this is an interesting application and for some species/cases this could yield a sustainable business model, attention should be given to pitfalls related to creating a market for the species. At some cases it was clear that capturing large individuals or gravid females of an alien invasive species was not interesting from an economic point of view, since this could drastically reduce the numbers and thus affect the business model created. From an ecologic point of view, total or near eradication of an alien invasive species is often a must in order to restore the ecosystem en reduce its impact.
Looking ahead
The Clancy project continues to investigate how invasive species like the Chinese mitten crab can be managed effectively. Any market-based solution must be carefully evaluated to avoid reinforcing the problems it seeks to solve.