The Norwegian Management of the Red King Crab

The Norwegian government has recently put forward a white paper concerning the management of the red king crab in the Barents Sea. The crab is an introduced species in the Barents Sea. The motive of the introduction was to improve the economy of the Russian coastal fisheries, as the crab is a highly valuable commercial species. Since the introduction the crab population has grown and expanded along the Norwegian coast. Norwegian authorities have throughout 30 years of presence from the red king crab in Norwegian waters faced several management challenges; however, it also contributes as a valuable resource for many communities in the northernmost county of Finnmark. Thus a management plan must place emphasis on an ecosystem approach and also secure the economic and social interests. The main objective of the new management strategy is to limit the stock of red-king crab in Norwegian waters, and at the same time to secure the commercial harvest. The major steps are: maintaining and limiting the size of the commercial area, limited access and a new harvest strategy within the commercial area, and keeping the stock at a minimum level outside the commercial area. In order to achieve the last step, the Government has proposed to establish a fund to support a decimation catch. However, these issues need to be investigated further. The White Paper was approved in the Norwegian Parliament March 3rd 2008