Alaska Cancels the Snow Crab Season Following a Mysterious Population Crash

• AlaskaCancelled the Bering SeaThe first snow crab fishing season will begin Monday.
• Schnee CrabScientists suspect that warming waters may have caused the population to mysteriously crash after a baby boom.
• Alaska’s king crab season has been canceled for the second consecutive year, which could threaten Alaska’s crabbing industry.

Alaska canceled the snow crab fishing season for the first time on Monday, as crab populations mysteriously plummet.

An estimated 1 billion snow crabs suddenly disappeared from the Bering Sea, according to CBS News. Alaska’s largest crab industry suffered a severe blow and many fishers could be forced to leave the sector.

Dean Gribble Sr. a crab boat captain who fished snow crabs from the 1970s to his retirement told the Associated Press that “it’s going to change people’s lives, if they don’t end their careers.” NBC News. “Many of these men have families and children, so there is no other option than to get out. That’s where the hammer is going to fall — on the crew.”

The snow crab stock looked promising in recent years, sparking hope amid the steep decade-long decline of Alaskan king crab. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is also involved. Cancelled the season for Bristol Bay red king crab on Monday — for the second year in a row.

Scientists will need to continue their research to discover what caused the snow crab population collapse this year. Three years later, the destruction comes. Heat hit the Bering Sea in 2019 — just as the crab population appeared to be booming.

The warming of Polar regions (including Alaska) is faster than that of the rest. This is because human-driven greenhouse gas emission traps more heat and raises global temperatures. Scientists suspect that rising water temperatures may be responsible for the deaths of some of the most loved crabs in the world.

“We’re with you for the ride. Miranda Westphal (an area management biologist at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game), said to NBC that it is difficult to predict and make up for any influences that could be exerted on a stock which is vulnerable to Mother Nature and climate change. They need space, time, and favorable conditions to rebuild.

Snow crabs experienced a baby boom and then vanished

The fishing industry hoped for a snow crab flurry this year.

According to Westphal, the ADFG saw the largest juvenile snow crab spike ever recorded in its history in 2018. This gave rise to hope that the fishing stocks would increase. The juvenile population in 2019 was still promising. The Bering Sea experienced a historic rise in water temperatures that year.

Due to COVID-19, the ADFG did not conduct a survey for 2020. Westphal stated that the agency discovered the “biggest snow crab crash” in 2021 when it returned to count crabs.

According to a report, stocks fell 90% The Washington Post.

“That was completely unexpected. Westphal stated to NBC, “I don’t think anybody saw that coming.” She believes the warm waters were responsible for the deaths of many young crabs.

The agency required that the stock be below the minimum level to open a fishery.

“Management of Bering Sea Snow crab must now concentrate on conservation, rebuilding, and a better understanding of the state of the
stock. The ADFG stated in a statement that efforts are underway to understand and improve the science of crab population dynamics. StatementMonday

In the meantime, fishing communities are taking a hit.

Jamie Goen (executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers), stated that many of them are small family businesses and are second- and third generation fishermen. “Many are losing their jobs,” Jamie Goen told local news station King 5He added: “It’s just devastating.”