Alaska Stops Snow Crabs Harvest Due to Shortage

After billions of snow crabs disappeared from the Bering Sea recently, Alaska has canceled the snow crab harvest for the first time.

According to CNN, the Alaska Board of Fisheries and North Pacific Fishery Management Council revealed last week that the Bering Sea snow crab population fell below the legal threshold.

Benjamin Daly, a researcher with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), said the snow crab population dropped from 8 billion in 2018 to 1 billion in 2021.

"Snow crab is by far the most abundant of all the Bering Sea crab species that are caught commercially," Daly said.

"So the shock and awe of many billions missing from the population is worth noting - and that includes all the females and babies."

The Reason Behind Snow Crab Shortage

The population plummeted by 83% between 2018 and 2022, according to the department's Division of Commercial Fisheries, as some small crabs entered the population in 2022.

Last year was the smallest snow crab harvest in over 40 years at 5.6 million pounds, USA Today noted.

Snow crab populations declined when the Bering Sea warmed in 2019. Stress from warmer water and more significant predator risks are most likely the causes of the population decrease.

"Management of Bering Sea snow crab must now focus on conservation and rebuilding given the condition of the stock," the ADF&G said in a statement Monday.

The Seattle Times reports that the 2016 harvest of Bering Sea crabs brought in $280 million.

The crab is normally pursued by a fleet of around 60 boats from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon, each carrying about six people.

Dean Gribble Sr., a boat captain who has fished for snow crab since the late 1970s, said this incident would be life-changing, if not career-ending, for these fishermen.

He added that many of these guys have families and kids, and no option other than getting out, which would hurt them.

Bristol Bay Red King Crab Harvest Is Also Canceled

The agencies also halted the Bristol Bay Red King Crab Harvest for the second consecutive year, NDTV noted.

According to the authorities, overfishing in the region was a significant cause of the suspension.

According to Mark Stichert, the state's fish and wildlife department's coordinator for groundfish and shellfish fisheries management, more crabs are being removed from the oceans than can be naturally replenished.

Meanwhile, surveys done in 2021 and 2022 show that the number of adult male snow crabs dropped by about 40%. There are still about 45 million pounds of snow crabs in the Bering Sea.

"It's a scary number, just to be clear," Stichert further said.

Snow crabs live in cold water and prefer temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius. As the ocean in Alaska warms and sea ice melts, it is becoming less and less suitable for the species, Michael Litzow, the director of NOAA Fisheries' Kodiak lab, stated.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Alaska snow crab harvest canceled for first time ever - From CBS Evening News