Dear Members of the European Parliament,

                Europêche is writing to you with regards to the latest developments on the issue of the snow crab conflict in the Barents Sea, particularly in the Svalbard zone, between the EU and the Kingdom of Norway.

We are not satisfied with how the EU is handling the situation. Since the arrest of the Latvian crab fishing vessel Senator on 16 January 2017, the EU has not managed to move forward, not in the form of “informal talks” with Norway, nor in the form of formal actions that the EU could have taken in order to protect the legal rights of EU fishermen. At the same time, the EU fleet which consists of vessels flying flags of Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Spain, has to bear huge financial losses, being tied up in port.

Europeche

Since 2013, EU vessels have been authorised to fish for snow crab in the Barents Sea and Svalbard waters. Even though these vessels carry a valid fishing license, a few were arrested by the Norwegian authorities, who refuse to recognise the legitimate right of EU vessels to sustainably and legally operate in this area. To date, 19 large boats from several EU countries remain tied up in port out of fear of being arrested. A recent Norwegian court ruling has declared Norwegian restrictions illegitimate and contrary to the international obligations undertaken by Norway.