Svalbard’s ‘Snow Crab Row’

What is it about?

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) of the European Union is legally, politically and environmentally of great importance. However, the effectiveness of old regimes to respond to contemporary developments poses several potential challenges to the CFP. This article identifies some of these external challenges by highlighting the differing interpretations of the Svalbard Treaty, as well as the introduction of the highly profitable snow crab to the Svalbard Archipelago. In doing so, the invasive nature of snow crabs – whose full impact in the Barents Sea is not yet understood – and their possibly negative effect on other commercial fish stocks are examined. Additionally, the spatial scope of the Svalbard Treaty, the international rules applicable to the exploitation of snow crabs, and the designation of snow crabs as a sedentary and therefore continental shelf resource, are also discussed as challenges to the CFP.

Featured Image

Photo by Danting Zhu on Unsplash

Photo by Danting Zhu on Unsplash