Italian researchers released 150,000 baby octopuses into the Adriatic Sea as an effort to fight invasive crabs.
Notes on verification
Core claim confirmed by multiple independent sources (Scientific American, Phys.org/AFP, Wanted in Milan) describing the University of Bologna's 'Octo-Blu' project releasing lab-bred baby octopuses into the Adriatic to combat invasive blue crabs. However, the specific figure of 150,000 is inconsistent across sources, ranging from ~80,000 released to a 100,000-150,000 target, suggesting 150,000 may be an aspirational goal rather than a confirmed completed release.
Sources
- MIT Technology Review (wp.technologyreview.com)
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-just-unleashed-an-army-of-130-000-baby-octopuses-to-fight-off-a-blue-crab-invasion/ (scientificamerican.com)
- https://www.wantedinmilan.com/news/italy-fights-invasion-of-blue-crabs-with-octopus-army.html (wantedinmilan.com)