Disputes concerning access to fisheries within national jurisdiction can be drivers of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. International courts and tribunals may play an important role in settling certain categories of fisheries access disputes and in clarifying the applicable legal framework. This article explores international dispute settlement options for the dispute between the European Union (EU) and Norway over access to the snow crab fishery in Svalbard’s waters as an example of a complex fisheries access dispute. In doing so, it considers the potential and limits of: 1) the compulsory dispute settlement mechanism under Section 2 of Part XV of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and 2) litigation before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

与国家管辖范围内的渔业准入有关的争议可能是非法，不报告和不管制（IUU）捕鱼的驱动因素。国际法院和法庭在解决某些种类的渔业准入纠纷和澄清适用的法律框架方面可能发挥重要作用。本文探讨了欧盟与挪威之间关于在斯瓦尔巴特群岛水域中捕雪蟹渔业的争端的国际争端解决方案，作为一个复杂的渔业争端纠纷的例子。在此过程中，委员会考虑了以下方面的潜力和局限性：1）1982年《联合国海洋法公约》（《海洋法公约》）第十五部分第2节规定的强制性争端解决机制）和2）向国际法院（ICJ）提起的诉讼。