Record Krill Catch Prompts Early End to Fishing Season in Antarctica and Growing Calls to Protect its Fragile Ecosystems

Gentoo penguins on Cuverville Island in the western Antarctic. Like seals and whales, they eat krill, an inch-long shrimp-like crustacean that forms the basis of the Southern Ocean food chain. But penguin-watchers say the krill are getting scarcer in the western Antarctic peninsula, under threat from climate change and fishing. Credit: Eitan Abramovich/AFP via Getty Images

Antarctica’s krill fishery has shut down months ahead of schedule after reaching its full seasonal catch-limit—a historic first. The early closure is fueling urgent calls to protect the Southern Ocean’s fragile marine ecosystems from mounting industrial fishing and climate change. Typically, the fishery runs from December 1 to November 30. This year, it closed the … Continue reading Record Krill Catch Prompts Early End to Fishing Season in Antarctica and Growing Calls to Protect its Fragile Ecosystems

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