"The warming and loss of Bering Sea sea ice that caused the snow crab collapse wasn't natural climate variability, but instead was the consequence of human-caused climate change," lead author and NOAA scientist Dr. Michael Litzow told Salon. Although the negative impact on snow crab fisheries is short-term for now, that may not remain the case.

A team of marine biologists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has found that climate change is the reason for the population collapse of Alaskan snow crabs in the Bering Sea.

Billions of crabs vanished unexpectedly, forcing the closure of Alaska's crab fishing industry. Scientists now have more answers.

The ecological collapse of snow crabs in Alaska’s southeastern Bering Sea is almost entirely attributable to human-induced climate warming, new NOAA research found.