Already at risk of population decline, the tasty crab could be in more trouble than we thought.
. Now, a new study points to another issue: A rise in the acidity of the Pacific Ocean is dissolving the shells of young Dungeness crabs larvae, inhibiting their development.
Ocean waters in the crab’s Pacific Northwest habitat are shifting to lower pH levels—meaning higher acidity—a change that’s not only limiting the strength of developing Dungeness crabs’ shells but also potentially damaging their sensory organs, likely affecting these larvae’s behavior,which was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
“If the crabs are affected already, we really need to make sure we pay much more attention to various components of the food chain before it is too late,” lead author Nina Bednarsek, a senior scientist with the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, hammered home., issues with Dungeness crabs can be significant beyond your seafood dinner. Economically, the crabs support one of America’s most valuable fisheries.
Regardless, though the NOAA doesn’t specifically mention climate change , consider this another warning sign. As the NOAA explains, ocean acidification is “primarily caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over long time spans”—which is pretty on the nose.
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