A number of endemic freshwater crabs were released into the wild on Friday, as part of a project to study and help bolster the ailing species. 

Once a common sight in Malta, the freshwater crab, known locally as the Qabru, used to be minted onto 5cent Maltese Lira coins.

However, the crustaceans have become increasingly less common in Malta’s freshwater streams and ponds in recent years, as development and climate change take their toll on their dwindling habitat.  

A researcher works on the project in a laboratory at the Malta Aquaculture Research Centre. Photo: Ray Caruana.

The first phase of Project Qabru, a rehabilitation project being run by conservationist NGO Nature Trust, saw a team of researchers focus on two females carrying juveniles that had been cultured in a lab at the Malta Aquaculture Research Centre in Fort San Luċjan. 

In early August 2021, a group of the juveniles raised in the lab were released into the wild, at the same place the two females had first been collected. 

The rest of the juveniles are being kept in the lab for further study on their culture and behaviour.

The project will also see a study on the crabs’ natural habitat to help identify the threats the species is facing and come up with ways to protect them.

The project is being financed by HSBC Malta and coordinated by Nature Trust Malta and the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.