(FOX WEATHER) – The snow crab population has plummeted, as more than 10 billion snow crabs have disappeared from the eastern Bering Sea since 2018.
Dropping to a historical low in 2021, and after historical highs three years earlier, the disappearance of snow crabs is one of the largest losses of marine life worldwide, according to a recent study.
Researchers said the snow crab collapse is linked to a marine heat wave that occurred in the region in 2018 and 2019. Marine heat waves are periods when the temperature of ocean waters is warmer than 90% of previous observations for the same time of year, NOAA said.
