Scientists point out that temperatures near the Arctic are warming four times faster than elsewhere on Earth.

The warming has led to the rapid disappearance of sea ice in the Arctic, particularly in the Bering Sea near Alaska, which in turn has amplified the global warming.

According to CNN, the U.S. state of Alaska recently announced the cancellation of this year's snow crab fishery due to the plummeting snow crab population.

This is the first time ever. In announcing the decision last week, the Alaska Board of Fisheries, as well as the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, said that the current snow crab population is below the management threshold for opening the fishery.

Researcher Benjamin Daly said there are even more alarming numbers behind the decision in Alaska: the population of Alaska snow crabs has plummeted from 8 billion in 2018 to 1 billion in 2021.

"Snow crabs are by far the most commercially harvested of all Bering Strait crab species," Daley said. "So the disappearance of billions of snow crabs is noteworthy."

However, some scientists don't think "overfishing" explains why the Bering Sea snow crab population has collapsed. They believe "overfishing" is just a technical definition that triggers conservation measures.

"We call it overfishing because of the population levels, but that's not what's causing the population to collapse." Michael Litzow, director of the Kodiak Laboratory, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in an interview with CNN.

Litzow believes the issue of anthropogenic warming is a major factor in the disappearance of the crab. Because snow crabs are a cold-water species, the vast majority live in areas where the water temperature is below 2°C. The waters off Alaska are becoming unsuitable for this crab species due to rising sea temperatures and the disappearance of sea ice.

　

Worldwide, the main factors contributing to the decline of wildlife populations are habitat degradation, development, invasive alien species, pollution, climate change, and disease. The current natural ecological challenges are severe, and transformative action to reverse biodiversity degradation must be taken without delay.