Human-induced climate warming drives dramatic decline of snow crabs in Alaska’s southeastern Bering Sea, NOAA warns.

The collapse of snow crabs in Alaska’s southeastern Bering Sea is almost entirely due to human-induced climate warming, according to NOAA Fisheries scientists. The warming process, called “borealization,” involves shifting from Arctic to sub-Arctic conditions, which is the primary driver of the decline. The scientists predict a continuing decline in snow crabs based on projected warming of between 1 and 1.5 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels. Models suggest that the southeastern Bered sea will experience Arctic conditions in only 8 percent of future years, which could potentially lead to the northward displacement of the commercial fishery from its traditional habitat.