Alaskan Snow Crab Fishery Closed For Second Straight Year - Marine Heatwave Wiped Out 90% Of Population [View all]

The crisis first began in early 2022, after biologists discovered an estimated 10 billion crabs disappeared — a 90% plunge in the population. “The first reaction was, is this real? You know, we looked at it and it was almost a flat line,” said Ben Daly, a research coordinator with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. A recent survey of the species showed little sign of a rebound.

“Environmental conditions are changing rapidly,” Daly told CBS News last year when the snow crab season was canceled for the first time ever. “We’ve seen warm conditions in the Bering Sea the last couple of years, and we’re seeing a response in a cold-adapted species, so it’s pretty obvious this is connected. It is a canary in a coal mine for other species that need cold water.”

According to new research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a marine heat wave linked to climate change impacted the snow crabs’ food supply and drove them to starvation.

Biologists hope this second round of suspensions will give the remaining snow crab population time to bulk back up. But with the climate threat only growing, there’s concern the snow crabs, along with the industry that depends on them, will continue to shrink.

EDIT

https://climatecrocks.com/2024/01/05/marine-heat-wave-crashes-alaskan-crab-fishery-again/