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The blob's lasting impact on West Coast crab fishing

deyerle
Jerimiah Oetting
/
KAZU News
Calder Deyerle, a fisherman who operates out of Moss Landing harbor aboard his boat, the Sea Harvester

Nearly a decade ago, a massive blob of warm water formed off the U.S. West Coast, disrupting the ocean ecosystem. Among “the blob’s” many impacts, the region’s highly profitable crab fishery was forever changed. Scientists say extreme marine heatwaves will become more common due to climate change, leaving many in fishing communities, like those in the Monterey Bay region, struggling to adapt to the new uncertainty.

Jerimiah Oetting is KAZU’s news director. Prior to his career in public media, he was a field biologist with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service.