Billions of Alaska snow crabs likely vanished due to warm ocean, study says (2024)

FAQs

Billions of Alaska snow crabs likely vanished due to warm ocean, study says? ›

They concluded that the crabs died from a warm water anomaly that sped up their metabolisms. In short, there wasn't enough food to go around—they starved.

Billions of snow crabs have disappeared from the ocean around Alaska in recent years, and scientists now say they know why: Warmer ocean temperatures likely caused them to starve to death.

According to new research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a marine heat wave linked to climate change impacted the snow crabs' food supply and drove them to starvation. Biologists hope this second round of suspensions will give the remaining snow crab population time to bulk back up.

Research Confirms Link Between Snow Crab Decline and Marine Heatwave. Using a combination of survey data and laboratory studies, NOAA Fisheries scientists identified starvation as the most likely cause of mass mortality event during the eastern Bering Sea marine heatwave.

Snow crab populations crashed unexpectedly and officials had no choice but to close the fishery. The next year, it happened again. The decline of roughly 10 billion crabs hit fishermen hard and the entire industry was impacted—from distributors, to processors, to consumers.

Population Status

According to the 2022 stock assessment, Alaska snow crab is overfished, but not subject to overfishing based on 2022 catch data. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.

It's the deadliest job on earth: crab fishing off the Alaskan coast on the icy Bering Sea. The two-hour season premiere of #DeadliestCatch is on Tuesday, April 18 at 8p on Discovery and streaming on discovery+.

Following the meetings, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said Bering snow crab season will be closed for 2023-2024; Bristol Bay red king crab will open. Tanner crab will also be open for commercial fishermen. Both the snow crab and Bristol Bay red king crab seasons were closed in 2023.

Officials with Alaska's Department of Fish and Game noted that recovery of the snow crab population will take time, as a juvenile crab typically takes 7–8 years to grow before it is counted in the population that can be harvested.

The lack of sea ice due to global warming contributed to the decline in the arctic species, which matures in cold pools on the ocean floor. Less ice combined with warmer waters made much of the snow crabs' habitat inhospitable, making way for many to die off. The snow crab stock shortage has economic consequences.

Is snow crab cheaper? ›

Snow Crab is more common. Because of its longer harvesting season, the price is more affordable. Snow Crab typically comes in at $20-40/ per pound. Because of the snow crab's texture it also makes it a better choice for omelets, souffles, or pasta sauces!

January 7, 2024 — Gabriel Prout is grateful for a modest haul of king crab, but it's the vanishing of another crustacean variety that has the fishing port in Kodiak, Alaska, bracing for financial fallout; for the second year in a row, the lucrative snow crab season has been canceled.

King crab legs are thicker and lined with spikes that require a crab cracker tool for best results. Snow crab on the other hand have legs that are soft enough to crack open with your bare hands. Remember not to apply too much pressure or you'll shred the delicate snow crab meat within!

Crabs are vulnerable to various aspects of climate change because they rely on salt marsh and beach habitats for survival, which are highly vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise, storms, increased sea and air temperatures, and altered salinity ^13,22.

Increasing ocean heat content is contributing to sea level rise, ocean heat waves and coral bleaching, and melting of ocean-terminating glaciers and ice sheets around Greenland and Antarctica.

A recent study concluded that warmer water temperatures helped drive the crabs to starvation. Experts believe that the crabs will soon start heading farther north toward colder climates.

The lack of sea ice due to global warming contributed to the decline in the arctic species, which matures in cold pools on the ocean floor. Less ice combined with warmer waters made much of the snow crabs' habitat inhospitable, making way for many to die off. The snow crab stock shortage has economic consequences.

Crabs are vulnerable to various aspects of climate change because they rely on salt marsh and beach habitats for survival, which are highly vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise, storms, increased sea and air temperatures, and altered salinity ^13,22.