Climate Change Takes Toll on Bearing Sea

Scientists suspect global warming in having a major negative impact on the Bering Sea, where much of the fish consumed the United States is caught.

The Seattle Times reported that the Bearing Sea, where the annual catch totals some $1.7 billion, is seeing its sea life population dropping sharply. Researchers told the newspaper, for instance, the snow crab catch has declined by 85 percent over the last six years.

Part of the reason is over-fishing, the Times said, but the scientists also say that global warming also plays a major role in the area’s rising water temperatures and melting ice caps.

In the Bearing Sea … rapid climate change is apparent, and its impact significant, scientists concluded in the 2004 Artic Climate Impact Assessment.