Project Summary
Especially in polar regions, environmental changes can result innew opportunities to diversify fishingpractices or establish new ones. Warming Arctic waters have also resulted in a more favorableclimate for invasive species. These expanding invasive species, such as Atlantic rock crab, may offerviable fishing opportunities for the small-scale fleet. In Iceland, this fleet has experienced differentpressures, such as the rapid concentration of fishing quotas and the loss of work opportunities inremote rural communities; issues that are representative of those faced by other remote ruralcommunities in the Arctic. With our project we will be able to link local knowledge holders (small-scale fishers interested in commercially exploiting the invasive rock crab as well as the processingindustry) with governmental stakeholders and academic scientists to explore questions around suchan emerging fishery, and what the impacts for the small-scale fisheries in rural Arctic communitiesaround Iceland would be. Our workshops will help to give the floor to the local knowledge holders,creating momentum for knowledge sharing across a knowledgeholder group that is otherwisegeographically isolated. Moreover, the proposed workshop will aid in setting a research agenda, andmomentum on invasive crab fisheries opportunities/risks in Iceland.
Date and Location:
TBC
IASC Working Group funding the Project:
Project Lead
Sandra Rybicki (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Iceland) Maartje Oostdijk (University of Iceland, Iceland), Catherine Chambers (Stefansson Arctic Institute/University Centre ofthe Westfjords, Iceland
Year funded by IASC
2023
Project Status
Upcoming