Institutionalizing the High North: Will the harvest of redfeed be a critical juncture for the solidification of the Svalbard Fisheries Protection Zone?

The Svalbard Fisheries Protection Zone is an international institution on the brink of being challenged in a critical phase of being institutionalized as a Norwegian property regime. The potential disturbance comes from the zooplankton redfeed, a new and valuable resource harvestable within the zone. Though the pressures on Norway’s inspection routines in the zone are challenged at times, this article suggests that the zone as a management regime is a surprisingly robust institution still. Nevertheless, in such a critical phase it is important not to allow possible exogenous shocks to appear, and creating a separate redfeed regime for the plankton will allow the Norwegian government to bypass this possible disturbance and allow for continued solidification of the zone into an EEZ for Norway.

► Institutionalization Challenges in the Svalbard Fisheries Protection Zone. ► Moving from Norwegian management to property regime in the waters around Svalbard. ► Exogenous shock to the management regime must be avoided in this critical phase. ► Harvesting the plankton redfeed in Svalbard waters could be a disturbance. ► A separate management regime for the plankton redfeed will avoid a potential shock.