Alaska snow crab season canceled - 1 billion crabs short/missing

[underpants]

Alaska snow crab season canceled as officials investigate disappearance of an estimated 1 billion crabs

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fishing-alaska-snow-crab-season-canceled-investigation-climate-change/

In a major blow to America's seafood industry, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has, for the first time in state history, canceled the winter snow crab season in the Bering Sea due to their falling numbers. While restaurant menus will suffer, scientists worry what the sudden population plunge means for the health of the Arctic ecosystem.

An estimated one billion crabs have mysteriously disappeared in two years, state officials said. It marks a 90% drop in their population.

"Disease is one possibility," Daly told CBS News.

"Environmental conditions are changing rapidly," Daly said. "We've seen warm conditions in the Bering Sea the last couple of years, and we're seeing a response in a cold adapted species, so it's pretty obvious this is connected. It is a canary in a coal mine for other species that need cold water."

[Grumpy Old Guy]

1. Bad news for Captain Sig

and all the rest of the Bering Sea crab fishing folks. They're still reeling from the red crab closure last year.

[SergeStorms]

32. They went to Norway.....

and fished for Russian red crab that's an invasive species in Norwegian waters. It took awhile to dial them in, but they did alright after they did some prospecting.

At least they made some money. A lot of boats lost the entire season.

[Dustlawyer]

35. I have been a recreational fisherman on the Texas gulf Coast my whole life.

When I was young we always caught fish every trip. Now it is usually nothing, maybe one or two. Most of the problem is the heavy shrimping. They shrimp right next to the beach and everywhere else, sucking up all species. The fish do not stand a chance. This is just the last 50 years. The fecal content is so bad in the Summer we do not swim or eat any of the fish. Now we have flesh eating bacteria, it is just insane!

I hold out zero hope for human life beyond the next couple of hundred years. No one wants to make the sacrifice for the environment.

[cstanleytech]

38. I disagree about the human species going extinct in that timeframe.

Granted it will happen eventually but we are probably the most adaptable species on the planet and there are only a few things that would wipe the entire species out.

[Ford_Prefect]

46. The point is that it won't matter if a few rare tribes hidden from view survive.

Most humans live in or near to large urban areas and depend on the associated infrastructure. Most food producers whether whole or processed are some significant distance from the urban centers. Along with this are the medical resources of research, care, and medical production.

If the basis for that infrastructure goes down so does our respective species. If the planet won't support all of the creatures which make up the food chain or the weather systems we're done and it won't take long. Even the ultrarich won't be able to run away from it, except by going to Mars.

[Javaman]

2. The slow and steady acidification of the oceans

Helps destroy the crabs shells. Let alone the coral reefs

It’s estimated that at current projections most if not all coral reefs in the world are slated to collapse within 10 years.

That’s even if we stop pollution the air right now.

Everyone should be fucking terrified but sadly the massive majority of the planet just goes on as nothing is wrong

[underpants]

6. Damn

10 years.

[Iwasthere]

7. Exactly!!

Sickens me. My children and their children will inherit a severely damaged earth. Its ecosystem is suffering.

[Kaleva]

16. Are you doing anything to help them prepare ?

[cilla4progress]

9. Yep

People are terrified...which is why they are turning to autocratic strongmen!

[Kaleva]

12. I get the sense most here aren't that concerned about it.

DUers who live in FL, along the coasts or areas hit by drought or wildfires aren't moving for various reasons.

[RockCreek]

22. Extremely concerned

Yet so easy to become paralyzed by the huge numbers of unknowns in what will ensue. I'm not right up against a coast, although in a coastal state, which makes it easier not to act. And I'm not happy that I'm not doing enough.

[Kaleva]

27. I'm doing about as much as I can

The Upper Great Lakes area where I live isn't expected to be hard hit and in some cases, may become better suited for human habitation. Like milder winters and a longer growing season.

I do expect shortages and interruptions of essentials as society and the economy adjusts so I've been working on converting my entire backyard in a vegetable garden and orchard. I'm also doing other projects too numerous to list here.

Falling down the stairs earlier this year and having my shoulder replaced had put everything on standby for now but I hope to resume shortly.

[bedazzled]

30. I hope you are feeling better!

Your work will definitely pay off!

[Javaman]

36. Oh they will

Once the ice shelf holding back the Thwaites and Pine glaciers collapse, there will be no stopping the 3 to5 foot ocean rise globally.

That’s estimates to happen within 5 years.

There is a coming mass migration in the US.

Does the US/world have a plan for that? I doubt it

If you think the homelessness problem is an issue now, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

[DENVERPOPS]

40. I have noticed here

the homeless numbers are increasing....(.I call them "HooverVilles).........The drought, the politics, the homeless camps are all reminders of the late 1920's here in the U.S. and what came next......

At least they had Roosevelt, and we are stuck with Trump, DeSatan, and the Entire Corrupted Republican Party.....

[cilla4progress]

39. How practical is that for most?

There are other ways to mitigate.

Bully for those who already live where the impacts will be less.

Or think they do...

[Javaman]

61. No place is "safe"

Everywhere on the planet will be effected in one way shape or form.

And to those who think they are safe, they are living in denial

[berniesandersmittens]

3. Wow

That's massive

[dchill]

4. It's a huge headline. Or deadline.

[honest.abe]

5. That's not good.

[Johnny2X2X]

8. Without bountiful oceans, famine is going to be a plague

A good portion of the population's protein comes from the ocean. Without it, people will starve, and land bound replacements are worse for the environment.

Greed. We overfished the oceans, we destroyed the climate, we acidified the waters, so the top 1/10th of 1 percent could live like kings.

When the reefs go, it will quickly destroy the fisheries. This is scary.

[cilla4progress]

10. The answer I keep coming to is

a large human die-off.

COVID was a precursor.

[LiberalFighter]

11. That is my thought too. The only way.

And not just for this.

[pwb]

13. Mother Nature is eliminating the source of the problem, Us.

She gave us a chance to fix things and we did nothing. Yep.

[DENVERPOPS]

41. And now

Mother nature has grown tired of the way we are treating HER planet, and acting out..........

[Kaleva]

14. It's nature's way of putting things into balance

Some greenhouse gases can remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years so it's possible that generations would have to pass before climate returns back to normal. Assuming it can.

[misanthrope]

47. If the Earth is lucky, that will happen

One section of Carl Sagan's PhD thesis explained how Venus' current hellscape of an environment could be explained by a runaway greenhouse effect. He was very concerned about humans creating something similar on Earth.

[Kaleva]

52. Earth doesn't care what humans do

There have been times when the planet has been an ice ball, a water world, a volcanic hell hole. Earth us constantly destroying and renewing itself.

[underpants]

19. Kurt Vonnegut right after Katrina

Was on the Daily Show shortly after Katrina.

Jon Stewart: I always felt in your writing that you were both admiring of man but disappointed in him.

Kurt Vonnegut: Yes, well, I think we are terrible animals. And I think our planet’s immune system is trying to get rid of us and should.

[Johnny2X2X]

20. And far right ideology will thrive in a mass death environment

Mass migration because of rising sea levels, inhabitable areas, and food scarcity is occurring right now and most people don't even put two and two together. In Central America, climate change has made growing crops in the mountains not as sustaining, so farmers from small villages moved their families to the cities for work. The cities became overcrowded and crime took hold, so people there decided to leave the danger behind for a chance at America.

Climate Change immigration should be what's being talked about all the time on the news. It's an issue everyone can find some common ground around. Libs because they want to save the planet, Cons because they want to stop immigration.

[DENVERPOPS]

43. The right doesn't REALLY want to stop immigration

If immigration stopped, where would they find their inexpensive nannies, maids, cooks, house keeper, lawn and gardeners, cheap construction workers, etc etc etc.

For my ENTIRE life, the business's have been saying: "We can't find workers who want to work"

What they SHOULD be saying is: "We can't find workers who want to work FOR WHAT WE WANT TO PAY THEM"

[misanthrope]

48. I fear you are correct, sadly

The planet just isn't meant to carry this multitude of us wreaking havoc in the way we have. The universe will balance things in its own brutal way.

[Uncle Joe]

15. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread underpants

[underpants]

18. My wife sent this to me.

[DFW]

17. We have been warned for the better part of a century

The answer was always, "we still have time," or "the earth will adapt."

Wong on both counts. We have no more time, and the earth can no longer adapt. If we have to swear off snow crabs for a couple of years, we can subsidize the workers of the (former) crab industry, especially if its total revenue is only $218 million, as one poster mentioned a few days ago. However, if this spreads to species like pollock, salmon, arctic char and cod, there are going to be some serious deficiencies in the food chain, and VERY soon, as in "any time now."

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

42. We've been warned since 1856

By a woman named Eunice Foote, who published a paper on atmospheric gases and climate change.

Here’s her Wikipedia entry https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_Newton_Foote

[misanthrope]

49. Yep, the appeals to ignorance are bullshit

The only ignorance has been willful.

[DFW]

50. Thanks for that. I had never heard of her.

It sounds like recognition is long overdue.

[leftstreet]

55. +1

Thanks for posting that

[moondust]

21. Not just losing crabs.

Global wildlife populations have sunk 69% since 1970 - WWF report

Thousands of salmon found dead as Canada drought dries out river

[Backseat Driver]

44. Ummm...and/or Omaha Steve's recent post about

those couple of events in which over 500 pilot whales beached themselves far south of the equator near New Zealand, and our best scientists in the field can't figure out why it happens?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142980384

then there's: https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/thanksgiving-prices-rising-after-bird-flu-kills-millions-of-turkeys/

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/apr/28/egg-factory-avian-flu-chickens-culled-workers-fired-iowa

In addition to millions of pounds of potential food waste incurred by recalls of other infectious and processing (shards of plastics, glass and mental contaminations).

Then there's the problems of millions of deaths of migrating birds mainly due to tall building window lights and starvation in their summer habitats from woodland fires/smoke pollution that disrupt traditional migration safe flightpaths. The problem is escalating. "According to the Ohio Lights Out campaign led by the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative, a recent study estimated that as many as 1 billion birds die each year in the United States after colliding with buildings."

Here you can read about the drop-in-the-bucket advice about ways to help (Note pinion article) https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2022/08/keep-migratory-birds-safe-this-fall-morgan-paskert.html

Pesticides on food chain pollinators anybody? We're our own worst enemies!

[jalan48]

23. I wonder if this will get the same media coverage as the Van Gogh soup controversy.

[berniesandersmittens]

25. +1 nt

[Progressive dog]

24. That is frightening.

One more warning that the world cannot continue to support so many of us.

[cbabe]

26. Previous post: Alaska's Bering Sea king and snow crab seasons canceled over population collapse

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217242320

Alaska's Bering Sea king and snow crab seasons canceled over population collapse

https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2022/10/11/alaskas-bering-sea-king-and-snow-crab-seasons-canceled-over-population-collapse/

Alaska’s Bering Sea king and snow crab seasons canceled over population collapse

Alaska officials have canceled the fall Bristol Bay red king crab harvest, and in a first-ever move also scuttled the winter harvest of smaller snow crab.

…more…

[underpants]

29. I didn't see that post v

I kicked your thread. Thanks.

[cbabe]

31. Thanks backatcha. Follow up posts are good. More eyes/go 'viral'.

[Crowman2009]

28. Wonder if those crab fisherman who voted for GOPers are having buyers remorse?

They made their own bed, so let them lie in it. Especially since them and the oil workers were always slagging on everyone else whenever a recession occured.

[James48]

33. I'm sad-

I’m thinking that I’ve probably eaten
my last real Alaskan Snow Crab Legs.


Not much to look forward to anymore.

[underpants]

34. The pop top can makes it easier

[NullTuples]

37. We've wiped out 70% of 21,000 monitored populations of 4,400 species in 50 years.

Capitalism is killing the planet. It's just that simple. But it's so much a part of everyone's lives we cannot even conceive of giving it up.

https://livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/

[gulliver]

53. It's not Capitalism of course

It's the Tragedy of the Commons. Any form of government would want to feed its people with seafood, and any two or more groups of people would compete to maximize their share of the resource. The issue is finding a way to obtain seafood in a sustainable way.

[NullTuples]

56. "compete to maximize their share of the resource" at its core, that is Capitalism

[gulliver]

57. They would do that under any circumstances, regardless of system

Which was my intended point

[NullTuples]

58. That says more about you and your worldview than humanity.

[gulliver]

59. Well, I'm not sure what you think it said, of course

And you haven't said what you think I said and, more importantly, where you think I might have erred.

[NullTuples]

60. My point is that some people have cooperation as their core value, not competition.

And as the environment gets worse, they tend to share and look out for one another even more.

That may not be your worldview and I'm not claiming that one view or the other is superior in a practical sense.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

45. "When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted;

when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money." - Alanis Obomsawin

Sad, but true.

[pstokely]

51. most of the casinos haven't reopened their buffets

nt

[Hugin]

54. The great seafood boil in the beaches during the summer of '21 was bound to have repercussions.

and not good.

[flvegan]

62. I'll say it, it won't be popular here but

maybe, just maybe we should just stop fucking eating them. Yeah.

Response: Nope, too delish. *equivalent to rolling coal* response