Billions of Snow Crabs Have Disappeared

Trene4000 · October 27, 2022

Billions of snow crabs have disappeared from the waters around Alaska.

Scientists say overfishing is not the cause

The Alaska snow crab harvest has been canceled for the first time ever after billions of the crustaceans have disappeared from the cold, treacherous waters of the Bering Sea in recent years.

The Alaska Board of Fisheries and North Pacific Fishery Management Council announced last week that the population of snow crab in the Bering Sea fell below the regulatory threshold to open up the fishery.

But the actual numbers behind that decision are shocking: The snow crab population shrank from around 8 billion in 2018 to 1 billion in 2021, according to Benjamin Daly, a researcher with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

"Snow crab is by far the most abundant of all the Bering Sea crab species that is caught commercially," Daly told CNN. "So the shock and awe of many billions missing from the population is worth noting -- and that includes all the females and babies."

The Bristol Bay red king crab harvest will also be closed for the second year in a row, the agencies announced.

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/16/us/alaska-snow-crab-harvest-canceled-climate/index.html