Posted on 10/15/2022 3:32:34 AM PDT by EBH
Alaska will cancel the upcoming winter snow crab season in the Bering Sea for the first time, and bar fishers from catching king crabs in the Bristol Bay for a second consecutive year, because of a sharp decline in their estimated population.
This week’s announcements by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game deal a severe blow to fishers that make a living off the crabs. They also bring back to the forefront questions about the role of climate change in the rapid decline of the snow crab population: The number of juvenile snow crabs was at record highs just a few years ago, before some 90 percent of snow crabs mysteriously disappeared ahead of last season.
Alaskan officials said they had consulted carefully with stakeholders before canceling the season. They said they were aware of the impact of the closures on “harvesters, industry, and communities” but that they had to balance economic needs with conservation.
Salmon travel deep into the Pacific. As it warms, many ‘don’t come back.’ “These are truly unprecedented and troubling times for Alaska’s iconic crab fisheries,” said Jamie Goen, executive director of the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, a trade association that says it represents some 70 percent of local crab harvesters, in a statement. “Second and third generation crab-fishing families will go out of business due to the lack of meaningful protections by decision-makers to help crab stocks recover.”
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
You could put the government in control of the Sahara and they would run out of sand in two years.
This was the Free Republic thread a few years ago. Keyword was Norway, I believe
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1680448/posts
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Invasive Arctic crab species in Norway are expanding to new shores
Populations of king and snow crabs, neither of which is native to the Barents Sea, have exploded there in recent years, and begun to spread north and south.
By Atle Staalesen, The Independent Barents Observer -November 14, 20195975 https://www.arctictoday.com/invasive-arctic-crab-species-in-norway-are-expanding-to-new-shores/#:~:text=Invasive%20Arctic%20crab%20species%20in%20Norway%20are%20expanding,and%20begun%20to%20spread%20north%20and%20south.%20By
King crabs, which aren’t native to the region, have conquered the Barents Sea and will continue to expand north- and southwards. The crabs might ultimately make it south to the UK and north to Svalbard, according to researchers.
Before 1960, the fishermen that sailed in the Barents Sea knew little about crabs. Then, developments unfolded that ultimately altered marine life on the far northern sea bottom.
Soviet experiment
In fall 1960, Soviet marine biologist Yuri Orlov successfully moved nine female king crabs from Vladivostok to Murmansk. In the following 10 years, another 3,000 crabs were moved the Kola Bay. Then, a thousand more in the 1970s.
The animals found few competitors and comfortable living in their new northern habitat and quickly multiplied.
“It turned out that the invader crab became significantly bigger and more fertile than its ancestor,” Orlov said in an interview in 2016.
Yikes........
Pre-covid I bought(Sams Club) Russian King crabs that where soaked in salt water and frozen. Had to thaw them in water, to get rid of the excess salt, before cooking. Never had to do that with US King crabs.
Correct myself-there is supposed to be an import ban on Russian seafood products, but they are brought into the US as Chinese products.
“When you open a can of salmon, you don’t know if it’s Russian-caught or it is U.S. because we do not track that seafood,” said Sally Yozell, senior fellow and director of the Environmental Security program at the Stimson Center. “The American consumers do not support rebranded Russian seafood entering our markets. But unfortunately, they do not know because it is disguised as a Chinese product. “ For example, 27% of the fish caught by Russian vessels in Russian waters was estimated to have been shipped to China to be processed before being exported to the U.S., according to a 2021 report by the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Frozen crabs are often labeled as Alaskan crabs even if they are caught in Russia.
https://naturalresources.house.gov/media/in-the-news/russian-fish-find-way-onto-american-tables-despite-import-ban
The US can’t even manage its crab fisheries and yet half of our population is convinced we should try to regulate the average temperature of the entire planet?
Yes. You also have to wonder if this is true or whether it is just another lie from the government to attack another food source like all the fires in food processing plants, beef issues, chicken issues, fertilizer and grain issues. Is this just more attempts to subjugate Americans by reducing food sources to make them more compliant to the new world order? Just because it sounds conspiratorial doesn’t mean it isn’t true. And with this Biden adminisration, anything is possible.
“Pre-covid I bought(Sams Club) Russian King crabs that where soaked in salt water and frozen. Had to thaw them in water, to get rid of the excess salt, before cooking. Never had to do that with US King crabs.”
I bought some King Crab at the same place. It was 2014 or so and the price was $12.99 or $13.99 per lb. I was in there with a friend who had Sam’s membership. Excess salt? I don’t remember. But I steamed them. I never dip in melted butter. I mix olive oil, soy sauce, black pepper, sea salt, lemon or vinegar to dip them or lobster or shrimp in.
Russia. They fish the northern section of the grounds
Russia didn’t care. Fished the area dry.
Nah.
Russia Russia Russia baby!
The Russian crab season starts on September 1st each year since 2020. The crab have to survive the Russian fleet before we can even count them.
And just like with pollution Russia could care less....in this case about turning back undersized crab to mature and keep the population going....I bet they take everything the catch regardless of size.
Thanks.
Judging by the video I recall from the thread it’d take a while to fish those things out.
My hunch is over-harvesting the crabs in Alaskan waters due to Russia import ban.
They were soooooo good.
Unfortunately, many shrimping and other fishing boats were destroyed in and around Ft. Myers due to Hurricane Ian. A lot of unemployed workers currently.
As for those crabs, I recall reading last Spring that the King Crab supply was about to be in deep trouble with the ban on Russian imports. Seems the Russians had a lock on the U.S. supply. Maybe 80%?
tht is why the crabing fleet will go as close to russian waters as they can to fish for crab. its a long ways from they port of dutch harbor
King crab wasn't fished last year in Alaska, so not sure how an import ban could cause 'over-harvesting'.
The crabs move onto better feeding grounds. The fisherman just have to find them. That is why it is called fishing.
How to Tell Female From Male Crabs
"If you are catching your own crabs to use for she-crab soup or other dishes, you will need to be able to tell females from males. Luckily, this is easy to do, and you will not need a magnifying glass. Simply look at the underside of the crab. For example, the female blue crab, which is typical for East Coast crabs, has a broad, triangular-shaped area in the center of the shell, whereas the male has a more distinctive, elongated spire in the center."
Leave it to lefties to make that more complicated than it really is.
Either a broad triangular area or elongated spire.
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