| Summary: | Biological invasions in Arctic marine environments are expected to noticeably affect the way the ecosystem will look and function in coming years. Along with many other rapid changes taking place in these previously isolated ecosystems, invasions of which we are both aware and unaware may have irreversible repercussions. The intentional introduction of the Red King Crab Paralithodes camtschaticus and the more recent unintentional introduction of Snow Crab Chionoecetes opilio into the Barents Sea are examples with identifiable ecosystem impacts especially in soft benthic bottom fauna ecosystems. We expect that game theoretic environmental economic tools can help illuminate aspects of invasive species management significant for sound decision-making processes. Building blocks of such a game theoretic approach include the different players (stakeholders) involved. In our case study, we take into account the existing different management practices (for RKC) and the different market interests (based on consumer demand and fishing industry effort) as well as the ecosystem itself. At a minimum the following stakeholders have interdependent payoffs affecting not only the human actors but also environmental quality outcomes: Norwegian and Russian fishermen, Live and frozen crab markets, and Society, representing all possible beneficiaries of a healthy and well-sustained marine ecosystem in the Barents Sea as well as those in areas to which the invasion may spread. These actors must make decisions under significant uncertainty; sustained Arctic observation data of crab populations and spread, ecosystem quality and related productivity parameters improve decision-making capability and increase clarity of the trade-offs involved. We identify the stakeholders’ involved and trace out their roles in the decision making process to help articulate incentive-compatible ecosystem management strategies that are adaptive to new information garnered from sustained Arctic observations.
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