
For the first time in recorded history, snow crab season was canceled in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska.
On October 10, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the National Marine Fisheries Service cited concerns about the reduction in the snow crab population, which numbered in the billions before their recent mysterious decimation. As the population fell by over 90 percent, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) canceled the season to allow the population to rebound in hopes that it would return to replacement levels by next year.