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xchrom

(108,903 posts)
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 02:33 PM Jun 2014

Warming oceans may shrink Florida stone crab supply

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/06/24/warming-oceans-may-shrink-florida-stone-crab-supply/



MIAMI (Reuters) – Researchers working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say warmer, more acidic oceans may reduce the number of stone crab hatchlings as the availability of the popular, pricey delicacy dwindles.

A study using water temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations predicted for the end of this century by climate change scientists found the number of stone crab larvae fell by nearly 40 percent under those conditions.

“There’s already something out there that’s been making the catch smaller and so it becomes concerning when you add these other stressors,” said Philip Gravinese, a marine biology doctoral student at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.

Initial estimates from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission show 896,199 pounds of stone crab claws were hauled in 2013. That’s a fraction of the 2.7 million pounds of claws hauled in 2012, worth $25.1 million, and the 3.4 million pounds collected in 2000, a bellwether year.
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