Economic Management of an Invasion: The Case of the Red King Crab in Norway

Abstract

This paper presents a bioeconomic model for managing commercially valuable marine invasive species. The model, using Norway’s red king crab (RKC) fisheries as a case study, emphasizes the balance between ecological control and economic benefits. It integrates spatial management, enforcement, the effects of harvesting subsidies in ecological protection zones, and illegal fishing. Model analysis indicates that Norway’s current spatial management of RKC, which separates quota-regulated area from removal area, may overestimate stock and quotas. This overestimation may result from a failure to fully account for the side effects of subsidies and noncompliance. Our study reveals that this type of spatially contrasting management regime can create incentives for noncompliance, highlighting the need for careful policy design in spatial management for commercially valuable invasive species. Ultimately, this contribution is both timely and illustrative of management dilemmas increasingly encountered with other invasive species where control and commercial use coexist.