Government shutdowns, ocean acidification, huge ice pack predictions, and no Cordelia Marie on the Deadliest Catch. The upcoming King Crab season is off to a bumpy start this year. Most crab fishermen are on route as of this post. October 15th is the official opening date, but the recent government shutdown won’t allow federal organizations to issue IFQ to the skippers, which could have many fishermen sitting at the docks wasting time and money. The Coast Guard is also affected by our government’s ineptitude. Standard issued Coast Guard safety exams are limited due to the lack of government funding.
Other recent news articles point to the increasing acidification of our oceans, which have the harshest effects on crustaceans. The increased acidity hinders creatures ability to grow strong outer shells. Its unlikely, that the effect of ocean acidification will affect fishermen this season, but its an issue that weighs heavily on the minds of crabbers. Especially, in light of the recent oyster disaster on the Pacific west coast.
Arctic Ice has been a major problem for crabbers the past two seasons. The ice pack devastated the Bering Sea in 2012 and the predictions are looking pretty grim for the upcoming opilio crab, aka snow crab, season in January. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to find links for extra reading materials on these subjects and more. Also check out the twitter posts from the captains and crew of the Deadliest Catch for their latest updates from the sea.
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/386273684874207232Time Bandit sails tonight! Thankyou everyone.Catching the tide out.heres a pic from last year when we left 🙂 pic.twitter.com/AiFyVjvuBt
— Johnathan Hillstrand (@captjohnathan) October 5, 2013
Back in Alaska talk to everyone in a few months after King Crab season!
— Scott Campbell Jr (@CaptScottJr) September 30, 2013
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/378955809025044480Wizard heading for AK. Finally departing. If you're at the Ballard Locks in 15 minutes wish the boys well pic.twitter.com/JspfbB3hOI
— Capt Keith Colburn (@crabwizard) September 25, 2013
Related articles
- Ocean acidification threatens Alaska’s multimillion-dollar crab industry (yakimaherald.com)
- Capt. Keith warns government shutdown threatens Deadliest Catch (mynorthwest.com)
- Federal Shutdown Could Delay Crab Fisheries (alaskapublic.org)
- Scientists analyze the effects of ocean acidification on marine species (sciencedaily.com)
- Arctic Ice Sheet Grows By 920,000 Square Miles In A Year! (pjmedia.com)
- Well, well, well – Record return of Arctic ice cap as it grows by 60% in a year with top scientists warning of global cooling (sott.net)