Billions Of Crabs Disappear In Alaska—Scientists Reveal The Reasons And What’s Next
The disappearance of billions of crabs from the Bering Sea near Alaska in 2022 shocked scientists and fishermen alike. Scientists clarified that the cause of the crabs' starvation death was probably the unusually warm water rather than overfishing.
However, experts noted in a new study that their horrifying deaths seem to be only one effect of the tremendous transformation taking place in the region. Apparently, it's true that some areas of the Bering Sea are getting less arctic.
According to the research conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the likelihood of warmer, ice-free conditions in the southeast Bering Sea, which are typical of sub-Arctic regions, is around 200 times higher than it was before people started burning fossil fuels that warm the earth. Shocking right?
Well, the lead author of the study and director of NOAA Fisheries' Kodiak lab in Alaska, Michael Litzow is studying " how much this Bering Sea ecosystem has already changed from what it was even within the lifetime of one snow crab fisherman." And it doesn't end there though.
Additionally, he stated that "we should anticipate many more very warm years" and that there won't be many instances of true Arctic conditions, which are frigid, icy, and dangerous.
Although they can physiologically survive in waters as hot as 12 degrees Celsius, snow crabs, a cold-water Arctic species, often flourish in environments with water temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius.
The shockingly warm water sent the crabs’ metabolism into overdrive
In 2018 and 2019, there was a particularly lethal marine heat wave that affected crabs. The crabs' metabolism increased in response to the warmer water, but there wasn't enough food to keep up.
As a result of the eventual starvation of billions of crabs, Alaska's fishing sector suffered greatly in the years that followed. According to report, snow crabs are a commercially significant species that can be valued at up to $227 million annually.
When sea ice melts and ocean temperatures rise, the demise of the Alaskan snow crab heralds a broader ecological shift in the Arctic. According to specialists, the ocean surrounding Alaska is currently losing its ability to support a number of marine species, such as sea lions and red king crabs.
Typically, a temperature barrier in the ocean keeps species like Pacific cod from diving into the icy home of the crabs. However, Pacific cod were able to access these warmer-than-usual waters during the 2018–2019 heat wave, and they consumed some of the snow crab population that remained.
Snow crabs are a commercially significant species
Robert Foy, director of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, told CNN that they "have observed species shifts in distribution and mismatches in prey and predators, which have contributed to declines in some species like Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska."
Fishery managers are currently trying to incorporate new technologies like drones and artificial intelligence to "more rapidly detect and respond to environmental changes and ecological responses," according to Foy, who is not involved with the study.
Foy also added that these extensive ecosystem changes are posing "new challenges and opportunities for fisheries science and management." In all, we all need to pay attention to climate change.
