In the Arctic, focus has shifted towards the 'blue' economic potential, but there is limited knowledge of how to exploit this potential. This is especially relevant for the Svalbard archipelago, specifically the community of Longyearbyen, now undergoing a transformation from a mining community towards a multi-functional 21st century Arctic hub.
Fisheries and greater utilisation of this already abundant activity by allowing landings on Svalbard is hailed as one possible avenue, advantageous for the local population and thereby Norway's Arctic presence. Questions remain as to the potential for and profitability of such activity, not least given the unique governance structures on and around Svalbard.
Together with the key business actors with an interest in this activity, we ask: what conditions and determines the feasibility of an emerging fishing industry on Svalbard? The objective of the SVALFISH-project is to improve knowledge regarding a possible fishing industry in Svalbard, and under what conditions new activity in this part of the Arctic might expand, in turn enhancing knowledge in businesses and among decision-makers. The project is developed together with the most central users, as we focus on the steps that determine the profitability of fishing activity in this region: catching, landing, processing and exporting of fish.
This will be done by: (1) knowledge development in work packages dealing with various aspects of fisheries and Svalbard, where specific user partners are involved; (2) work-package synthesis, leading to policy recommendations and specific guidelines to assist business and decision-makers (local, national, perhaps international); and (3) outreach events and workshops together with industry partners, to ensure communication of findings and relevance beyond this initial research project. Our target group is both geographic (Svalbard/North Norway) and competence-based (actors utilising marine economic opportunities).
Project period: 2020-2022
FNI PROJECT LEADER
FNI PARTICIPANTS
PARTNERS
- NOFIMA
- The Arctic Institute
- High North Center at Nord University
- Center for the Blue Economy
- Polar Seafood
- Norwegian Fishermen’s Sales Organisation
- Pole Position Logistics
- Svalbard Marine Utvikling
- Svalbard Business Forum
- Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic
FUNDING
- The Research Council of Norway
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES AND CHAPTERS
-
In Østhagen (ed), Norway's Arctic Policy: Geopolitics, Security and Identity in the High North. Edward Elgar, 2023, pp. 77-94
-
Arctic Review on Law and Politics, Vol 14, 2023, pp. 76–82
-
-
The Polar Journal, Vol 11, No 1, 2021, pp. 1-21.
-
In Arne Melchior and Frode Nilssen (eds), Sjømatnæringen og Europa: EØS og alternativene. Universitetsforlaget, 2020, pp. 13-42. In Norwegian.
-
International Relations, published online 13.05.2020, 21 p. DOI: 10.1177/0047117820920915
-
Internasjonal Politikk, Vol 78, No 2, 2020, pp. 167-192. In Norwegian.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
-
The Arctic Institute, June 27, 2023.
-
The Arctic Institute, June 1, 2023.
-
Forskning.no, January 31, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Dagens Næringsliv, Januar 24, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Norges suverenitet på Svalbard er ikke omstridt (Norway's sovereignty over Svalbard is not disputed)
Aftenposten, January 24, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Dagens næringsliv, December 1, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Nordnorsk debatt, October 26, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Dagens Næringsliv, August 11, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Dagens Næringsliv, June 27, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
In Thomas S. Axeworthy, Sara French and Emily Tsui eds), Lessons from the Arctic: The Role of Regional Governments in International Affairs. Mosaic Press, 2020, pp. 134-158.
-
PCRC Working Paper No. 12, March 2020, 15 p.
-
Nordlys, 4 March 2020. In Norwegian.
RELATED RESEARCH AREA(S)
IN MEDIA
-
How a Distant War Is Threatening Livelihoods in the Arctic Circle
The New York Times, July 10, 2023.
-
Planlegger charterfly fra Russland til Svalbard (Russian company plans charter flights to Svalbard)
TV2, June 20, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Kokepunkt Svalbard: Et storpolitisk kokepunkt
NRK (radio), May 29, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
The Arctic Council and it's political significance
BBC World Service Weekend, April 16, 2023.
-
Geopolitical changes in the Arctic
BBC World Service Weekend, April 16, 2023.
-
BBC World Service Weekend: the construction of wind turbines on reindeer pastures and other issues
BBC, April 16, 2023.
-
Norge overtar lederskapet i Arktisk råd: Viktig å få til samarbeid med Russland om klima (Upcoming Arctic Council Chairship: Important to Have Some Cooperation With Russia on Climate)
High North News, March 29, 2023. In Norwegian. English version here.
-
Regjeringen presenterer Arktisk råd-prioriteringer (The Norwegian government presents its Arctic Council priorities)
NRK Dagsnytt 18 (TV/radio), March 28, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Norwegen muss Krabben vor Spitzbergen nicht teilen – und Öl damit auch nicht (Norway doesn't have to share crabs off Svalbard - and neither does oil)
Der Standard, March 23, 2023. In German.
-
In case affecting oil, Norway Supreme Court says EU ships cannot fish Arctic snow crab
Reuters, March 20, 2023.
-
Russland satser tungt på Svalbard (Russia is investing heavily in Svalbard)
Klassekampen, March 17, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Russia starts renting out apartments to anyone at Norway’s Svalbard archipelago
The Barents Observer, February 16, 2023.
-
The United States is preparing a defence strategy to counter growing Russian presence in the Arctic
BBC World Service, Weekend (radio) February 11, 2023
-
Ny test i nord (New test in the North)
Dag og tid, February 3, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Mye på spill for Norge i nord (Much at stake for Norway in the north)
NRK Helgemorgen (TV/radio), January 29, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
‘A ginormous can of worms’: How a fight over snow crabs could lead to a win for oil drilling access
CNN, January 27, 2023.
-
Avgjørende rettssak om snøkrabbe i Høyesterett (Trial tests Norway's control of Svalbard resources)
Dagsnytt 18, NRK (TV/radio), January 25, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Rettsak om Svalbardtraktatens omfang (Court case on the scope of the Svalbard Treaty)
NRK Nyhetsmorgen (TV/radio) , Januar 25, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Norway's Supreme Court to hear Arctic snow crab case affecting oil, minerals
Daily Mail/Reuters, January 24, 2023.
-
Har Norge enerett på ressursene på Svalbard-sokkelen? (Does Norway have exclusive rights to the resources on the Svalbard shelf?)
Svalbardposten, January 23, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Hvor langt ut i havet gjelder egentlig Svalbardtraktaten? (How far out does the Svalbard Treaty apply?)
NRK (radio), January 23, 2023. In Norwegian
-
Suverenitet, historie og stormaktspolitikk på Svalbard med Andreas Østhagen
Konflikt (podcast), January 22, 2023. In Norwegian.
-
Cod fishing in Norway's Arctic region relies on Russian cooperation
BBC, January 21, 2023.
-
For the Arctic, the war in Ukraine means a geopolitical reshuffle
Le Monde, January 17, 2023. French version here.
-
Is Russia a greater or lesser threat to Norway than before?
Science Norway, December 20, 2022.
-
A Battle for the Arctic Is Underway. And the U.S. Is Already Behind
Politico, December 17, 2022.
-
Intensive High North Diplomacy at Work to Ensure the Future of the Arctic Council
High North News, December 7, 2022.
-
Er Russland en større eller mindre trussel mot Norge enn før? (Is Russia a greater or lesser threat to Norway than before?)
Forskning.no, December 6, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
I skyggen av Putin (In the shadow of Putin)
NRK, October 30, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Forsker om fersk norsk-russisk fiskeriavtale: – Viser hvor viktig samarbeidet er for begge parter (Researcher on recent Norwegian-Russian fisheries agreement: - Shows how important the cooperation is for both parties)
High North News, October 28, 2022. In Norwegian. English version here.
-
Russisk trussel mot Norge om det kommer flere sanksjoner (Russia threatens to withdraw from the fishing agreement with Norway)
NRK, October 25, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
– At én part advarer om mulig suspensjon av avtalen er uvanlig, men dette er heller ikke helt normale tider (Norway and Russia signed fisheries agreement)
Fiskeribladet, October 25, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Border Seminar 2022: “We Must Check for Both Pessimism and Illusions in Our Perception of Russia”
High North News, October 21, 2022.
-
Svalbard dras med i Ukraina-krigen (Svalbard is dragged into the Ukraine war)
NRK – Helgemorgen (TV/Radio), October 15, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Forholdet mellom Norge og Russland på Svalbard (Norway and Russia on Svalbard)
NRK Dagsnytt18 (TV/radio), October 13, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Kampen om Svalbard: Tyrkia ser nordover (The battle over Svalbard: Turkey looks north)
NRK Dagsrevyen, October 12, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Tyrkia vil signere Svalbardtraktaten: – Et tegn på stormaktsambisjoner, sier forsker (Turkey wants to sign the Svalbard Treaty)
NRK, October 12, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
– For lite debatt om de særskilte utfordringene som Svalbard medfører ("Not Enough Debate About the Specific Challenges on Svalbard")
High North News, October 5, 2022. In Norwegian. English version here.
-
Russland ønsker å styrke sin posisjon på Svalbard: Vil bruke 300 millioner (Russia wants to strenghten it's position on Svalbard)
NRK Troms & Finnmark, September 29, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Havet, døden og økosystemet (Sea, death and the ecosystem)
Khrono, September 10, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
First US Arctic Ambassador as the Region Climbs on the DC Political Agenda
High North News, August 30, 2022.
-
Felles norskrussisk minnemarkering på Svalbard i dag: Kan bli brukt i propaganda, tror forsker (Joint Norwegian-Russian commemoration on Svalbard today: Could be used in propaganda, researcher believes)
NRK Troms & Finnmark, August 29, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
– Å stenge norsk sone for russiske fartøy er å bryte fiskeriavtalene. Å stenge havnene er noe annet. ('Closing the Norwegian zone to Russian vessels is to break the fisheries agreements. Closing the ports is something else')
Fiskeribladet, August 19, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Khủng hoảng Ukraine phả hơi lạnh vào kinh tế Bắc Cực (Ukraine crisis throws chill into Arctic economy)
VN Express, August 10, 2022. In Vietnamese.
-
Russland vil si opp grenseavtale (Russia wants to terminate boundary agreement)
NRK Troms (Radio), July 6, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Russland truer delelinjeavtalen (Russia threatens the delimitation agreement)
NRK Nyhetsmorgen (TV/radio), July 6, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Russlands utenrikskomite bes vurdere delelinjeavtalen (Russia’s foreign affairs committee is asked to evaluate the delimitation agreement)
NRK Dagsnytt atten (TV/radio), July 5, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Sanksjoner mot russiske fartøy kan bli en påkjenning for fiskerisamarbeidet, sier forsker (Sanctions against Russian vessels could challenge fisheries cooperation, says researcher)
High North News, March 15, 2022. In Norwegian.
-
Fish Landing Plant in Svalbard Put on Hold
High North News, 20 October 2021.
-
Fiskemottak på Svalbard satt på pause (Fish landing facilities in Svalbard put on hold)
High North News, 19 October 2021. In Norwegian.
-
Norway objects to the EU’s granting cod quotas in Svalbard waters
High North News, 16 February 2021.
-
Researching Fish Landing Facilities in Svalbard: “Raises A Series of Questions on Different Levels”
High North News, 17.11.2020
-
Forskar på fiskemottak på Svalbard (Research on fish-processing plants in Svalbard)
High North News, 13.11.20. In Norwegian
(+47) 67111900
post@fni.no