In the Bering Sea, Alaska, USA, billions of crustaceans disappeared into the cold waters. Just last week, the US Alaska Fisheries Commission and the North Pacific Fisheries Management Commission announced that the number of snow crabs in the Bering Sea can no longer meet the regulatory fishing threshold, and the snow crab harvesting activities have been cancelled.
In recent years, Alaska snow crabs have been decreasing. Since 2018, their number has shrunk from about 8 billion to about one billion in 2021. And the number this year has even worsened, down 90%. #!100ms#Billions of snow crabs disappeared.
Snow crab is a cold water animal that lives in sea water with a water temperature below 2 degrees Celsius. And Bering Strait has always been their favorite gathering place, and most snow crabs live here. Their appearance is somewhat similar to that of King Crab, but they can still be distinguished when you look closely. The heads of the king crab are huge, and its leg pricks and back pricks are more obvious. The heads of the snow crab are relatively small and the shell is relatively smooth. They like the seabed of the Bering Strait, where they act as a scavenger, clearing up organic matter and maintaining the healthy and stable water quality in the water.
In the past, the seabed here was covered with snow crabs of all sizes. The snow crab is named after its snow-white flesh. In the 1960s, this animal began to catch it and was sought after by the market because of its unique taste. The annual catch can even reach 100,000 tons. Overfishing has once made the number of snow crabs rare. (Snow crab is the most commonly caught among all Bering seafood crabs). So in 1999, Alaska snow crab was also declared overfishing and several regulations were enacted to protect its population. Since then, snow crab populations have been effectively managed. But now, the vast majority are gone.
Scientists believe that "a large number of species suddenly disappears, which means that there are problems in the ecosystem on which it depends for survival." In recent years, various emissions caused by human behavior have increased, which has caused the climate to warm, and the greenhouse effect has intensified. Our oceans are also deeply affected by the melting of glaciers and permafrost, and sea level rises in , all of which are endangering the balance of natural ecosystems. But the act of causing this fatal injury has never stopped.
According to the survey, the ice sheet in the Bering Sea is melting, which is an important factor in the global warming of . Scientists have long pointed out that temperatures near the Arctic rise four times faster than elsewhere on Earth. Climate warming has caused the rapid disappearance of sea ice in the Arctic, especially the Bering Sea near Alaska, which in turn amplifies global warming. This vicious cycle is intensifying.
Fisheries officials have said that in the Bering Sea, Alaska pollock, snow crab and Pacific halibut , have generally been away from the coast since the early 1980s, and have moved northward on average 19 miles. They are migrating towards lower temperatures. Cancelled Alaska’s “Snow Crab Fishing”, the first time ever in Alaska, the largest state in the United States. This has a significant impact on fishermen engaged in fishing, and some people may be bankrupt or displaced due to fishing bans.
Once the natural environment is destroyed, it will be very difficult and long to repair. However, a large amount of wastewater is still pouring into the seabed, and the ocean is not only having a fever, but also acidifying. The tragedy of ecology will ultimately harm us humans. Follow me, see you next time.
