Climate Change Is Leading to the Death of Billions of Snow Crabs

On Thursday, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a study saying that warmer ocean temperatures have likely led the snow crabs to starve to death, CNN. The disappearance of snow crabs began showing up in surveys in 2021, and now that trend has been linked to heat waves in the eastern Bering Sea.

In response to the population decline, Alaska has canceled its snow crab seasons to try to conserve the species. It did so for theCrabbers have in the past attributed the drop-off in numbers to overfishing. While that leads to conservation measures, such as the calling-off of the fishing seasons, it doesn’t explain why numbers are falling, experts told CNN.

Snow crabs, which are used to living in cold waters, have not fared well with the rising temps. Hotter waters likely increased the amount of calories they need to survive, but they also affected species that the crabs eat to fulfill those requirements. As a result, the crabs have starved, and other species have moved into their habitat and eaten some of the snow crabs that were left behind.

Moving forward, Szuwalski said that he expects the crabs to move farther north in search of colder waters, meaning fewer and fewer crabs will be found in the eastern Bering Sea. Alaskan snow crab, then, may eventually become a delicacy of the past.The 30 Best Gifts for Steak Lovers, From Grills to Knives to Premium Beef

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