A participatory multi-criteria decision framework for sustainability assessment of Calanus finmarchicus harvesting alternatives in Norwegian waters

With over 3.1 billion people unable to afford healthy diets and 37.7% of fish stocks overfished globally, developing sustainable marine industries based on underutilized resources have become critical for food security. Calanus finmarchicus, a dominant zooplankton species in the Northeast Atlantic, represents a significant underexploited marine resource. Despite Norway establishing a commercial fishing quota, current harvesting remains dispersed and marginal. Using qualitative and quantitative data provided by relevant stakeholders, a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is employed to rank three legally regulated harvesting areas according to their performance across selected sustainability criteria. Results show that biodiversity risk and bycatch are the most critical sustainability concerns, while fuel consumption and operational costs dominate economic assessments. Social factors, including safety and regulatory compliance, remain relevant, but less influential. Given the methodological framework adopted in this study, nearshore harvesting areas rank highest in overall sustainability performance. Findings highlight trade-offs across sustainability criteria and underscore the need for adaptive management and improved data to reduce uncertainty. The study underlines the importance of participatory decision-making and integrated assessment frameworks to guide sustainable exploitation of emerging marine resources. By making trade-offs explicit, this study offers a transparent framework for evaluating and comparing management approaches in emerging fisheries.