Alaska cancels snow crab season amid mysterious population decline

Officials in Alaska have canceled the upcoming snow crab season because of a decline in population in the Bering Sea. The fall Bristol Bay red king crab harvest will not take place for the first time in the history of the state.

Scientists are concerned about the abrupt decline in the snow crab population

Cold water is the habitat of snow crabs. According to state officials, an estimated one billion crabs—roughly a 90% decline in population—have mysteriously vanished in the past two years.

The menus of restaurants will undoubtedly reflect this. Moreover, scientists are concerned about the abrupt population decline, which is likely to have an effect on the health of the Arctic ecosystem.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s report ‘Climate Change Indicators: Marine Species Distribution’, which was updated in April, mentioned that in the Bering Sea, “Alaska pollock, snow crab, and Pacific halibut have generally shifted away from the coast since the early 1980s”. 

“Did they run up north to get that colder water”?

As quoted by CBSNews, Gabriel Prout, who relies on the snow crab population for his Kodiak Island fishing business, asked, “Did they run up north to get that colder water? Did they completely cross the border? Did they walk off the continental shelf on the edge there, over the Bering Sea?” 

In spite of crabbers’ pleas for at least limited grabs to be permitted, senior officials and Alaskan state biologists debated the harvest ban for days before coming to their decision.

Jamie Goen, executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, said: “These are truly unprecedented and troubling times for Alaska’s iconic crab fisheries and for the hard-working fishermen and communities that depend on them.” 

Snow crab population shrank from around eight billion in 2018 to one billion in 2021

Benjamin Daly, a researcher with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said that the snow crab population shrank from around eight billion in 2018 to one billion in 2021. 

Daly said, “Snow crab is by far the most abundant of all the Bering Sea crab species caught commercially. So the shock and awe of many billions missing from the population are worth noting – including all the females and babies.” 

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alaska is the state that is warming the fastest in the nation. Additionally, it is losing billions of tons of ice annually, which is crucial for the survival of snow crabs.