Keith Colburn

Fishermen in the Pacific Northwest have suffered financially after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game called off the state's burgeoning snow crab fishing season in the Bering Sea. The news will also have a huge effect on the restaurant industry as the cost rises and shortages become inevitable. Alaska supplies 60% of the country's seafood. According to an ADF&G report, billions of snow crabs had disappeared from the area. Experts disagree on the reasons for the disappearance. According to some scientists, the disappearance is attributed to migration or starvation, both of which can be traced to climate change. Although some believe it could be attributed to an epidemic of disease in the snow crabs, others suspect it could be traced to a snow crab outbreak. According to the report, the snow crab population has decreased by around 90% in the last two years. Snow crabs are most common in Alaska waters in the Bering, Beauford, and Chuckchi seas. Around 65 vessels are currently fishing in these waters. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Bering Sea-based fleet collected about $132 million worth of snow crab from the waters in 2020.