According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most plastic-polluted seas on the planet.  And because of its busy commercial shipping routes, it is adversely affected by the presence of Non-indigenous and Invasive Species (NIS). Our S3, E 13 podcast "Invasive Crustaceans 2.0" discusses these invasions from a gastronomic and management point of view. Featuring Mouna Rifi, Assistant Professor at INRAT, the National Institute of Agronomic Research in Tunis, Tunisia; and Maria Irene Prete, Professor of Business Management and Marketing at the University of Salento in Italy.

 Besides the negative impacts of NIS on biodiversity, ecosystem services, food security and human well-being, the costs of managing these biological invasions reach an annual average of US$ 26.8 billion worldwide. The Atlantic Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus, and the Blue Swimming Crab Portunus segnis, now found in great numbers in Tunisia, are being exploited for their commercial value under an NGO project called 'Stop Non-indigenous Species'. Exported blue crab in 2021 reached 7,500 tonnes for a revenue value of €8 million. Similar legislation in Europe to mitigate NIS invasions does not yet exist. Continuing the monitoring of Blue Crab throughout the Mediterranean with the LifeWatch ERIC Virtual Research Environment will give a clearer picture of the economies of scale.