Alaska officials recently canceled the Bering Sea snow crab season for the second year in a row — and the second time ever — due to dwindling crab population levels.
When researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration surveyed the Bering Sea for crabs earlier this year, they recorded historically low numbers for both the big male snow crabs preferred by the fishing industry — defined as those with a carapace width of at least 102 millimeters — as well as mature female snow crabs.
