A snow-Tanner hybrid crab collected during the 2026 eastern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey. Hybrid crab exhibit intermediate morphological traits—such as a curved mouth—relative to snow and Tanner crab parent species. Credit: NOAA Fisheries / Leah Zacher

Marine Heatwave Triggered a Hybrid Crab Surge in the Bering Sea

10/21/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. A team of scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Kodiak Laboratory has uncovered an unexpected ecological aftermath following the major 2018–2019 Bering Sea marine heatwave. The results, published in a new Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study, show the abundance of snow-Tanner crab hybrids increased by more… SEE MORE