UK: Snow crab collapse due to ecological shift in the Bering Sea

Snow crab collapse due to ecological shift in the Bering Sea NOAA Fisheries scientists attribute the abrupt collapse of snow crab in Alaska to borealization, or an ecological shift from Arctic to sub-Arctic conditions in the southeastern Bering Sea due to human-caused climate change. Cold-adapted species like snow crab are well suited to Arctic conditions. However, when borealization occurs, the ecosystem shifts to subarctic conditions that are less conducive to snow crab survival. Instead, they favor warm-adapted species and temperature marine ecosystems. “What is particularly noteworthy is these boreal conditions associated with the snow crab collapse are more than 200 times likely to occur in the present climate (1.0° –1.5° of warming rate) than in the preindustrial era,” said Mike Litzow, lead author and director of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Kodiak Lab. “Even more concerning is that Arctic conditions conducive for snow crabs to retain their dominant role in the ...