The Po Delta, where Italy’s longest river meets the Adriatic Sea, is a region in northern Italy where human life has long depended on responding to the rhythms of nature. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has long sustained local communities through fishing, shellfish farming, and small-scale agriculture. Today, this fragile environment faces growing pressure as climate change alters water temperatures and marine conditions, disrupting the delta’s ecological balance. Po Delta, Pila. April 14, 2021

Serenella Binatti began fishing for clams in 1989 using the rasca, a traditional hand-operated tool. Dragged by hand along the seabed, it allowed clams to be harvested without the use of engines or heavy machinery, limiting damage to the lagoon bed. As the practice fades, Serenella belongs to one of the last generations to have worked the lagoon this way. Po Delta, Scardovari. April 2, 2021

The Philippine clam (Ruditapes philippinarum), native to the Indo-Pacific, was introduced to Italy in the early 1980s to compensate for the decline of native species. Its rapid spread reshaped the Po Delta, turning it into Europe’s main production area for Manila clams. At its peak, the industry produced up to 55,000 tonnes a year, tying local livelihoods to a single non-native species. Po Delta, Scardovari. February 15, 2021

Birthday celebration among young clam fisherwomen. For decades, fishing has defined work and social life, drawing the community together and anchoring daily routines around shared labor and mutual support in the Sacca di Goro. The clam economy once made this area one of the most prosperous in the region, offering young people a stable income and a reason to invest their lives and futures here. Many began harvesting clams soon after finishing compulsory education, choosing work that kept their families in the delta and creating deep social bonds. This stability strengthened ties across generations, especially among women, whose lives were lived together both on the water and on land. Po Delta, Goro. April 11, 2021

A cloud of mud rises from the lagoon floor. This fine, oxygen-rich sediment allows clams to burrow, filter nutrients, and survive beneath the surface. However, the same soft, muddy ground also creates ideal conditions for the invasive blue crab, which hunts and digs into the seabed, preying on clams and accelerating their decline. Po Delta, Scardovari. February 3, 2021

Portrait of former fisherwoman Giovanna Pizzo. Giovanna is part of the generation who had previously worked in textile workshops and turned to clam fishing after the collapse of the local textile industry, learning the trade from scratch. For 20 years, she fished for clams alongside her friend Oscarina Soncin. In 2024, faced with another crisis after clam stocks collapsed, she gave up her fishing licence. Transitioning to blue crab fishing would have required new investments and meant greater uncertainty, so she chose stable work on land. She now works at Regnoli, a historic seafood processing company. Po Delta, Porto Tolle. February 15, 2021

Thermal suits hang to dry, worn by clam fisherwomen to protect against winter cold and shifting tides during their work in the lagoon. Po Delta, Porto Tolle. February 9, 2021

Barbara Tesserin and her daughter, Chiara Vallati, dig for clams by hand along the Po River. Periods of extended drought in the Po basin, driven by reduced rainfall and higher temperatures, have pushed water levels to record lows in recent years, leaving large sections of the riverbed exposed more frequently. These climate-related changes are altering the river’s hydrology and sediment dynamics. Po Delta, Scardovari. April 2, 2021

The invasive blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), native to the western Atlantic, had been present in the Po Delta for years before a sharp population increase recorded in 2023. Highly adaptable and fast-reproducing, it tolerates wide ranges of temperature and salinity and lacks natural predators in local waters. Its expansion has led to intense predation on clams and severe damage to harvesting grounds, accelerating the collapse of clam beds and contributing to ecological imbalance across the lagoon system. Po Delta, Scardovari. November 4, 2025

Oscarina Soncin in the cold of an early winter morning. Oscarina entered clam fishing with no prior knowledge or family tradition, learning the trade from scratch. When she began, she was told she would not last in a job considered too hard for women. Over time, she proved otherwise, spending 20 years working on small boats and fishing for clams, alongside her partner Giovanna Pizzo. Po Delta, Scrdovari. February 15, 2021.

Clam fishing boats in the Po Delta. As clam harvesting expanded, fishers organized themselves into cooperatives and consortia that manage licensed lagoon areas, coordinating access to harvesting grounds, as well as routes, schedules and quotas. These shared agreements established a framework for collective decision-making, helping to regulate effort and stabilize production. Over time, this cooperative structure has become an integral part of the local social fabric. Po Delta, Scardovari. April 14, 2021

Hand of Consuelo Mantovani, 20 years old at the time, after a morning of clam fishing. Consuelo began fishing soon after finishing school, having long dreamed of becoming a fisherwoman. Today, she still harvests clams while also building crab traps to supplement her income. Po Delta, Goro. December 23, 2020

Portrait of Angela Franceschetti, 27. Part of a new generation of fisherwomen, Angela still harvests clams, but invasive blue crabs have gradually become her main source of income. As many in the community remain tied to a old livelihood, Angela chose to adapt, learning new techniques and rethinking her work. For her, being a fisherwoman means responding to what the water provides. Po Delta, Scardovari. November 14, 2025

Protective enclosure built to shield clam beds from blue crabs. Following the population surge in 2023, these structures were introduced through emergency government measures to limit predation and keep clam harvesting viable. Where clam beds were once open and cooperatives fished side by side on shared grounds, harvesting now takes place within enclosed plots, with each group working inside its own fenced area. While these barriers allow fishing to continue under controlled conditions, they offer only partial protection and long-term solutions remain experimental. Po Delta, Scardovari. November 7, 2025

Oscarina Soncin prepares a meal at her sister’s house using a recipe passed down by her mother before her death. In the Po Delta, long affected by poverty, isolation and seasonal hardship, local cooking developed from necessity, using limited resources from land and water. Fish and other aquatic products became central to everyday meals, while shared family meals continue to provide a space of cultural continuity. Po Delta, Porto Tolle. February 16, 2021

View of a former textile workshops in Scardovari, once a main source of employment for local women. After the industry’s collapse in the 1980s, production ceased and many of these spaces were abandoned or repurposed. Today, the drastic crisis in clam harvesting is triggering a similar contraction, with businesses closing and livelihoods once again disappearing from the area. Po Delta, Scardovari. November 8, 2025

Former fisherwomen Serena Farabotin and Oscarina Soncin before going home after work. The two women did not know each other when their lives were still tied to fishing, but both were forced to leave the water after the blue crab crisis. Serena spent more than 20 years fishing alongside her father, learning the trade as a family legacy, while Oscarina built her own livelihood at sea. Today they work together in a cleaning company. What began as economic necessity has grown into friendship and mutual support, shaped by a place where people have long relied on one another to face loss and uncertainty. Po Delta, Porto Tolle. November 8, 2025

Fisherwomen and fishermen of Cooperativa Po head out to the lagoon early in the morning to fish for clams. Since the blue crab crisis, many fishers have abandoned clam harvesting after losing what had long been their only source of income. While the cooperatives remain, their membership has sharply declined. A few groups, like Cooperativa Po, have chosen to continue, believing clams can still offer a future. The work has now adapted to the new conditions: harvesting now takes place collectively, with members fishing together and sharing monthly catches. Po Delta, Scardovari. November 7, 2025

Blue crabs destined for seafood processing. The invasive species has caused losses estimated at over €100 million. In response, Italian authorities have launched a national containment strategy, appointing a special commissioner and allocating more than €10 million for capture and mitigation measures. At the local level, part of the catch is now processed through a new export-oriented supply chain developed with international partners, in an effort to turn ecological damage into a source of income for affected fishing communities. Po Delta, Scardovari. November 6, 2025

Barbara and Giovanna Tesserin, sisters and former fisherwomen, hold a photograph of their mother taken on her last birthday. She was among the first women to fish in the area. Fishing shaped family life across generations, passing knowledge and work from mothers to daughters. That continuity has now been broken, marking the end of a livelihood that once linked multiple generations of the same family. Po Delta, Scardovari. November 17, 2025

Angela Franceschetti teaches her mother how to mend a fishing net. Having inherited her bond with the sea from her grandfather, Angela holds a boat licence, navigates the lagoon independently and fishes for clams, blue crabs and molluscs together with her boyfriend. Angela's mother, who never expected her daughter to work at sea, is now learning skills in order to support her, taking on tasks that were once passed down only through the male line of the family. Po Delta, Scardovari. November 26, 2025

Nets used to contain blue crabs around clam beds. Once, clam farming in the Po Delta was mainly limited to seeding and harvesting. The spread of the blue crab has added a new layer of work: installing, repairing and maintaining defensive structures to protect the stock. From 2026, local cooperatives will have to manage these barriers without support from the local consortium, turning protection into both a permanent task and a direct economic investment. Po Delta, Scardovari. November 7, 2025

Oscarina Soncin gets ready at the house of her friend and partner, Giovanna Pizzo, before leaving for a day of fishing early in the morning. Po Delta, Porto Tolle. February 15, 2021

Cavana at dawn in the Sacca di Scardovari. Used for generations to store equipment and manage the day’s catch, these wooden huts remain a practical part of fishing activity along the lagoon. They also serve as shared working spaces, where daily routines and coordination among fishers take place. Po Delta, Scardovari. November 7, 2025