Specifically, they have adopted an unprecedented early shutdown of the krill fishery in waters surrounding Antarctica. This decision, announced today, follows the 2022 fleet busting its seasonal catch limit for the first time. This decision comes in response to a report by The Associated Press, which highlighted a significant increase in krill harvesting this season, prompting urgent concerns about the ecological balance in the region.
Krill, a paper-clip sized crustacean, is a keystone species in the Antarctic marine ecosystem. It is an important food web species and is the critical diet for whales, penguins, and seals so its abundance is key to protecting biodiversity. Krill are a real climate change hero, but they deserve our protection. Every year, it sequesters an estimated 20 million metric tons of carbon, effectively removing that carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the deep ocean. This advanced state of carbon removal is similar to removing 5 million cars from our roads each year.
Last season, 2023-24, twelve trawlers banded together to catch a staggering 498,350 tons of krill. Nearly all of these trawlers were flagged to either Norway or China. This is meant to represent the largest catch in recorded history. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has been gathering fisheries data since 1973. By June 30, the catch from one particular hotspot had skyrocketed. That’s almost 60% higher than the grand total from the season before!
The new industrial trawlers were allowed to fish wherever, whenever they wanted. This uncontrolled access allowed them to fish in nursery habitats, which are preferred by marine mammals and birds. The public outcry that followed the death or near-death of three humpback whales after unregulated access was allowed to the stretch was profound. They had gotten caught up in the dragnets used to catch krill.
A strong body of evidence demonstrates that overfishing puts the health of our ecosystem at risk. Major stakeholders such as the U.S., Russia, and China failed to reach consensus on a new plan to manage existing krill fisheries. The proposed plan aimed to regulate fishing areas and establish a California-sized marine reserve along the environmentally sensitive Antarctic Peninsula. Without broad agreement, these measures never saw the light of day.
Given all of these developments, officials decided to close the krill fishery early this season. The decision underscores the urgent need for effective management strategies to ensure the sustainability of krill populations and protect the delicate marine environment of Antarctica.
