The population of Bering Sea snow crabs are disappearing, this has researchers puzzling over whether they have migrated from a long-held territory or they are dying off. In just seven years, 7 billion snow crabs have vanished. The snow crab population has dwindled from around 8 billion in 2018 to 1 billion in 2021.

The snow crabs are in such short supply that fisheries are shutting down and fishers are throwing back caught snow crabs in order to protect the dwindling population of the species.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced the closing of Bering Sea snow crab fisheries at least until the 2023 fishing season.

The October 10th ADF&G announcement acknowledged the negative effect on fishery industries due to the ban on fishing snow crabs, the “ADF&G must balance these impacts with the need for long-term conservation and sustainability of crab stocks. Management of Bering Sea snow crab must now focus on conservation and rebuilding given the condition of the stock. Efforts to advance our science and understanding of crab population dynamics are underway. With crab industry input, ADF&G will continue to evaluate options for rebuilding, including potential for sustainably fishing during periods of low abundance.”

Researchers don’t blame overfishing for the collapse of the snow crab population. They aren’t even sure if they have had a near mass extinction or if they have simply moved elsewhere. Some have hypothesized a climate-caused migration, causing the crabs to seek out colder water. 

The commercial industry is being forced to act on conservation ethics, but it is also in the fisheries’ best interest in order to preserve the species for future supply, to insure the future business of crabbing. 

Photo by Simon Hurry from Unsplash