Contact
Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir
Project Manager
kolbrun.sveinsdottir@matis.is
Summary:
Svalbard is situated in the north between mainland Norway and the North Pole. In the coming 10 years, the Snow crab (SC) and Red king crab (RKC) are assumed to establish themselves in the fjords around Svalbard. We have explored conditions for utilizing local SC and RKC in culinary dishes/experiences in Svalbard.
This will contribute to Svalbard’s sustainability as most of the food consumed is transported from mainland Norway. Workshops, test fishery, survey of the tourists’ interest, and development of culinary dishes were performed. Furthermore, we have described the biological, practical, and regulatory conditions for local harvesting, processing, and live holding of the crabs in Svalbard. The survey revealed that most tourists did not know SC or RKC. Still, they were interested in local food, including crabs. Challenges have been identified and solutions proposed to ensure that when SC and RKC are present in the Svalbard fjords, a local, sustainable pot fishery can provide locally caught crabs, offering tourists a “taste of the Arctic”.