China approved the importation of live Arctic crabs from Norway. This decision follows political meetings in November between the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Affairs, Marianne Sivertsen Næss, and the Chinese Minister of Customs and Veterinary Authorities, Yu Jianhua, in Beijing.
Access to the Chinese market could increase the profitability of the Norwegian fishing industrygenerating new activities especially in the coastal regions of the country. To support this development, the Norwegian Government has allocated additional funds to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, with an increase of NOK 3 million in the 2024 national budget, bringing the total to NOK 8 million.
These funds are intended to facilitate market access for seafood by ensuring that the necessary procedures are completed quickly and efficiently. In 2025 10% of the total snow crab quota has already been earmarked for the delivery of live specimens. The Directorate of Fisheries recently proposed a regulation for the capture of snow crab, with particular attention to the percentage reserved for the export of live crabs.
Nobody thinks about the stress and suffering of these animals
Unfortunately, however, this is a decision where we only think about profit and not to the well-being of these animals, to suffering they experience during these practices and the environmental impact they have. The snow crab is not only fished, thus ending its life, but is transported alive while suffering significant stress and sufferingespecially if conditions are not optimal.
The lack of stringent regulations on animal welfare during transport could exacerbate these sufferings, making the business process ethically questionable. Furthermore, the intensification of fishing to meet international demand could lead to a excessive exploitation of marine resources. This risks compromising the long-term sustainability of marine ecosystems, threatening biodiversity and destabilizing the ecological balance.
The growing dependence on the Chinese market, known for often environmental and animal welfare standards less rigorouscan only raise concerns about possible compromises in Norwegian values and regulations. How is it possible that the whole world stands still and watches this massacre without dwelling on the brutality of this practice?
