From the Barents Observer:
The Svalbard Treaty does not prevent Norway from punishing companies that engage in catch without permission, the judges say.The conflict goes back a ways. This is from 2017, also Barents Observer:
The Norwegian Supreme Court on Thursday concluded that snow crab is a so-called sedentary species and that Norwegian authorities consequently have exclusive rights to manage the crab stocks in the waters around the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
With their verdict, the judges turn down an appeal submitted by Latvian company SIA North Star Ltd. and one of its Russian ship captains.
The company was taken to court after one of its trawlers, the «Senator», in January 2017 engaged in snow crab fishing in the so-called Fishery Protection Zone around Svalbard. The trawler was arrested by the Norwegian Coast Guard as it was putting 2,600 crab catch traps to sea. The captain refused to pick them up when requested to do so by the Norwegian Coast Guard arguing that he had the permissions he needed from EU authorities.
The company in June 2017 lost its case in a lower court and subsequently appealed the case to the Supreme Court. It will now have to pay 1.3 million kroner in fines....MORE
Norway takes tough line against EU in Svalbard waters
«The next ship we see in the area will be arrested», Minister of Fisheries Per Sandberg says.
I'm pretty sure this isn't a snow crab, it looks more English actually.
Finally, one of the better stories to come out of Svalbard last year—not counting the sweepstakes prize of a weekend with Martha Stewart at the seed vault—was the guy who robbed the bank for some Christmas money.
From IcePeople.net, December 21:
BREAKING: Man arrested after armed robbery at bank; believed to be first bank robbery in Longyearbyen’s history...MUCH MORE
And from Cathay Pacific a handy map:
