The federal government has been advised to consider closing the snow crab fishery off eastern Cape Breton after a recent stock assessment showed the population there is in the "critical zone.”

Jae Choi, a Department of Fisheries and Oceans scientist studying the species for 20 years, said the number of small young crabs has decreased, possibly due to a combination of factors, like more predation, water temperatures, and the lack of coverage in the area for crabs to hide in. 

“What we see right now is that recruitment from stages of the size of a loonie to that 95 millimeters is quite low and it…