ELVIS KAMBERI1*, KRISTIAN BEQIRI2, JERINA KOLITARI3, ENKELEJDA BUDA4, EDLIRA SADIKU5
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1Department of Aquaculture and Fishery, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania 2Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain 3Department of Aquaculture and Fishery, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania 4Department of Aquaculture and Fishery, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania 5Department of Aquaculture and Fishery, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania Abstract The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, Rathbun 1896, is a species that inhabits estuarine and shallow coastal waters up to 90m depth, native to the western Atlantic coast. Its presence in our coast has been recorded since 2006, meanwhile different reports confirm its wide distribution in the Adriatic coast. During June 2019, 45 individuals (36 males and 9 females) were sampled from the catches of the artisanal fishers in the Vaini Lagoon. Carapace length, width and total weight were measured for all the sampled individuals. Carapace length ranged between 6.3 and 8.6 cm, carapace width ranged between 11.3 and 16.7 cm and the total weight ranged between 76 and 294 g. Males were found to be larger than females according to all the parameters measured. According to the carapace measurements, 91% of the sampled crabs (41/45) can be considered as mature. Further studies, related to the impact of this species on the artisanal fishery in its areas of distribution, may be important in the development of fishery management plans. Keywords: Crustacean, Artisanal fishery, Biological invasion |