521
Arctic Yearbook 2014
pelagic species provide 3 million tons of commercial fishery resources which provide the
livelihood for fishermen and are the most important industry in rural communities in the North
Atlantic region (Jentoft, 1998; Holm, 2001; Sundby, 2013). Industrial fisheries in the Arctic
provide large export incomes and the basic conditions for human settlement in Norway and the
Barents region of Russia. The new petroleum activity provides opportunities as well as a great
challenge to other human activities such as fisheries, tourism, shipping and outdoor recreation
(The Institute for Marine Research, 2010: 1 A; Sande, 2013). These human activities and settlements
onshore depend on the human exploitation of the natural resources produced in the ecosystem
of the Barents Sea.
Figure 2: Ecosystems and management planning by the Norwegian Government: The North Sea, Norwegian Sea
and the Barents Sea. Green sea areas: open for petroleum exploration. Yellow sea areas: Temporarily closed for oil
drilling. White diagonal striped areas: New area in the Barents Sea for oil drilling in 2013. Red sea areas: Temporary
closed for oil-drilling because of ice-conditions or biodiversity reasons. Source: The Norwegian Ministry of Oil and
Energy, White Paper nr. 28 2011-2012).
Oil Drilling & Ecosystem Management Planning of the Barents Sea