Recent shifts in northern Bering Sea snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) size structure and the potential role of climate-mediated range contraction

Fedewa, Erin J.; Jackson, Tyler; Richar, Jon I.; Gardner, Jennifer; Litzow, Michael A.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104878

Cited by 23 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…The Polar Front area of the Barents Sea seems to meet two of the most important criteria for the possible establishment of commercially exploitable snow crab densities, namely high benthic secondary production and a bottom water temperature regime suitable for its growth. Results from several papers indicate an optimum temperature for snow crab of <4 • C (Chabot et al, 2008;Avlsvåg et al, 2009;Siikavuopio et al, 2019) and a maximum temperature of 4-6 • C (Dawe et al, 2002;Siikavuopio et al, 2017;Fedewa et al, 2020). Foyle et al (1989) found that snow crab total metabolic costs exceeded caloric intake at temperatures <1 • C and >7 • C, whereas the caloric intake decreased when passing 5 • C. These temperature data in general coincide with the bottom water temperatures extracted from the SVIM model around and somewhat south of the Polar Front, which, in combination with our production estimates, presumably facilitates a substantial growth of the snow crab population in soft-bottom areas close to the Polar Front.…”

Section: The Most Suitable Snow Crab Foraging Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infaunal and epifaunal secondary production in the Barents Sea, with focus on snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) prey resources and consumption

Holte

Fuhrmann

Tandberg

et al. 2022

ICES Journal of Marine Science

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Since the first observation of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the Barents Sea in 1996, the population has increased significantly, supporting a commercial fishery on the Norwegian shelf since 2012. To investigate whether the availability of benthic prey organisms may support a continued geographical snow crab expansion, benthic invertebrate production was studied across the central parts of the Barents Sea and around Svalbard, where snow crabs are currently absent or at low densities. Annual productivity (P/B ratio) from 66 stations collected by grab and beam trawl was estimated using a multiparameter artificial neural network model. Mean infaunal productivity and production were 0.43 yr−1 and 38.4 g ww m−2 yr−1, respectively, while the epifaunal production was considerably lower with 2.5 g ww m−2 yr−1. The proportions of epi- and infaunal production suitable as prey for snow crab were 98 and 96%, respectively. Areas close to the Polar Front represent the most attractive snow crab foraging region, having the highest benthic secondary production, high estimated primary production, and bottom water temperatures within the snow crab’s preferences. At snow crab densities of 12800 ind. km−2, high enough to support commercial fishing, their mean consumption rate was estimated to be around 1.5 g ww m−2 yr−1, which amounts to 4% of mean infaunal prey production. Food availability is, therefore, not expected to be a hindrance to further population expansion of the snow crab in the Barents Sea.

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Section: The Most Suitable Snow Crab Foraging Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infaunal and epifaunal secondary production in the Barents Sea, with focus on snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) prey resources and consumption

Holte

Fuhrmann

Tandberg

et al. 2022

ICES Journal of Marine Science

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“…In the EBS, a cold pool of bottom water is formed by the seasonal melting of ice (Stabeno et al, 2001). Recently, a reduction in the range of the distribution of the snow crab has been associated with a reduction of this pool (Fedewa et al, 2020). In the northern Bering Sea (NBS), observations of snow crabs have historically been of sizes outside the scope of commercial value; however, a substantial increase in large size crabs has recently been observed, indicating the potential for a future commercial fishery in the NBS (Fedewa et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, a reduction in the range of the distribution of the snow crab has been associated with a reduction of this pool (Fedewa et al, 2020). In the northern Bering Sea (NBS), observations of snow crabs have historically been of sizes outside the scope of commercial value; however, a substantial increase in large size crabs has recently been observed, indicating the potential for a future commercial fishery in the NBS (Fedewa et al, 2020). In general, any species having a shifting habitat distribution over time is likely to continually generate the exploration and exploitation dynamics we have examined in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental constraints, biological growth and fleet dynamics of a developing fishery: A model study of the Barents Sea snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio, Majidae) fishery

Hogrenning

Eide

2021

Fish and Fisheries

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“…Despite a wide diversity of benthic organisms in Arctic marine ecosystems, we found a limited number of studies (compared to fishes, microalgae and mammals) documenting the direct impacts of climate change on benthic invertebrates (Figure 8a). A decline in the abundance of juvenile snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) was reported in one study (Fedewa et al 2020) and another study documented decreased activity capacity of Arctic spider crab (Hyas araneus) resulting from the combined effects of two stressors (increasing temperature and CO 2 levels) (Zittier et al 2013). A long-term observational study revealed variation in Eurasian-Arctic benthic community composition at multiple spatial scales due to different environmental factors (Hansen et al 2020).…”

Section: Microbes and Benthic Invertebratesmentioning

confidence: 92%

Arctic marine ecosystems face increasing climate stress

Deb

Bailey

2023

Environ. Rev.

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Arctic warming is occurring at a much faster rate than in other parts of the globe, with potentially devastating consequences for the diverse array of species within ecologically and biologically sensitive areas in the Arctic marine region. However, climate change research in this region is sparse compared to other biomes, hindering conservation efforts. In this article, we review and synthesize the available literature to understand the observed and potential impacts of climate change on different species and ecosystems in the Arctic marine region. We reviewed 253 articles reporting changes in species and ecosystems in the Arctic marine region in response to climate change (225 studies documenting observed impacts and 28 reporting predicted impacts). The review revealed that most research effort has been concentrated in only a subset of Arctic Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) (5/18 LMEs), with the majority of Arctic LMEs being poorly studied. The majority of the reviewed papers focused on marine mammals (19%) followed by microalgae (17%). A number of studies documented variability in planktonic communities (microalgae, macroalgae, zooplankton), resulting in alteration in ecosystem structure and function. Reproductive failure, decline in populations, and changes in diet composition, behavior and breeding biology were reported for sea birds and mammals. Further, shifts in spatial distribution of fishes were observed by several studies. This review provides persuasive evidence that multiple climate change indices in the Arctic region are changing, with impacts on almost all components of marine biotic ecosystems (from plankton to top predators). We identify a number of gaps (such as limited inventory of biota, robustness of data supporting climate change indices on an Arctic Ocean scale, and climate suitability assessment for all species) in climate change research in Arctic marine ecosystems where future studies can help to quantify the impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems and advance understanding for their adaptive management.

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Recent shifts in northern Bering Sea snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) size structure and the potential role of climate-mediated range contraction

Cited by 23 publications

References 58 publications

Infaunal and epifaunal secondary production in the Barents Sea, with focus on snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) prey resources and consumption

Infaunal and epifaunal secondary production in the Barents Sea, with focus on snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) prey resources and consumption

Environmental constraints, biological growth and fleet dynamics of a developing fishery: A model study of the Barents Sea snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio, Majidae) fishery

Arctic marine ecosystems face increasing climate stress

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