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Native America Calling: Alaska’s unprecedented snow crab population collapse
Monday, October 24, 2022

Alaska’s unprecedented snow crab population collapse
Alaska’s snow crab season is cancelled for the first time ever after a mass die-off all but wiped out the crustaceans in the Bering Sea.

Officials estimate the snow crab population plummeted by at least 11 billion in a relatively short time. Many experts theorize warming waters are the main culprit. The harvest is crucial for local economies.

Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce hears about the immediate implications and concerns about the future of crab harvests.

Snow Crab Alaska
Snow crab in Alaska. Photo: NOAA Fisheries

Guests on Native America Calling
Mike Litzow, marine biologist and director of the Kodiak Lab for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Fisheries

Phillip Zavadil, city manager of St. Paul Island, Alaska

Dennis Robinson (Qawalangin Tribe), president of the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska

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Native America Calling
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