The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has canceled the snow crab season, after one billion crabs disappeared in two years, a 90% drop in their population.
“It’s going to be life-changing, if not career-ending, for people. A lot of these guys with families and kids, there’s no option other than getting out. That’s where the hammer is going to fall — on the crew.“
– Dean Gribble Sr., Crab Boat Captain
Alaska is warming faster than other regions due to its proximity to the North Pol and the Bearing Sea has experienced a period of record-breaking temperature.
Small snow crabs make their home in cold pools on the Bering seafloor, but the increasing temperature has shrunk these pools leading to the collapse of the crab population.
“They couldn’t deal with it. They couldn’t find enough food. They couldn’t move to colder waters. The most plausible explanation is probably starvation.”
– Miranda Westphal, Area Management Biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
