Walking sideways? Management of the Norwegian snow crab fishery

Abstract

The snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the Barents Sea is an invasive species, first discovered in 1997. Since 2012, a commercial fishery has developed, and various management measures have been implemented. Despite fishing gear restrictions, limits for the catch season and the implementation of a TAC-regime in 2017 onwards, the fishery struggles with substantial sustainability challenges. Vessels allocated a licence demonstrate radical differences in catches, and the fleet suffers from an unprofitable overcapacity and lack of environmentally friendly harvesting operations. The management authorities and the fishermen’s organizations seem to agree that the regulated open access and the Olympic fisheries model are the main sources of the present problems. The Directorate of Fisheries (DoF) [1] has introduced a discussion paper outlining various options for closing the fishery. The article outlines these- and other options, and discusses the alternatives in terms of improved sustainability, i.e., environmental, economic as well as social. A key point is that closing the fishery (like many other management measures), are not only technical interventions. They are also political, and they contribute to modify both the regulating system and the system to be regulated.