Innovations in Western Arctic Fisheries

The purpose of this article is to substantiate the possibility of increasing the efficiency of fishing and crab harvesting in the Western Arctic through innovation. The relevance of this issue is related to the decline in fishing efficiency due to sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Economic Community on fishing, as well as other factors that increase costs and reduce product value. An analysis of selected indicators of the economic efficiency of fishing in the Murmansk Oblast in 2021 was carried out in comparison with 2013, which is considered the last period of the development stage of fishing in accordance with the classic business life cycle. It was shown that the main impact on the decline in the efficiency of crab fishing and fishing in general was the loss of the crab market in the United States and European countries, as well as the need to reorient sales to the Asia-Pacific region. As a result, import prices for crab in China, Korea and Japan became significantly lower than in the United States ($40/kg) and in the EEU countries. It was found that prices for live crab in China are almost 3 times higher than for frozen crab, and an innovative system for delivering it to China alive was developed. It was shown that the main innovative factor in increasing efficiency in fishing is the new fleet. The use of new vessels for crab fishing will ensure a 20–50% increase in fishing results, while labor productivity in fishing should increase by about 2 times, and costs should decrease. Proposals have been made to potentially increase fishing efficiency through other innovative factors: introduction of a new catch accounting system, improved logistics, release of new products, digitalization, development of the domestic market through improved pricing and competition, etc. In 2024, prices for live crab in China reached their pre-sanction level in the United States — $40/kg.