MISMANAGEMENT OF ANTARCTIC KRILL FISHERY PUTTING WHALES AT RISK, SAYS WWF

WWF has lodged an objection with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) calling for an immediate review of the certification of the Antarctic krill fishery until precautionary fisheries management measures are agreed. 

The objection argues that the Antarctic krill fishery is causing localised depletions of krill in the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea region which is impacting on other key species within the ecosystem that depend on krill for survival, including humpback whales. WWF is calling for the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to strengthen ecosystem-based management of the krill fishery and for the adoption of a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the region. 

The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming regions on Earth, and the location of a large-scale industrial krill fishery. Antarctic Krill are a keystone species, and form the foundation of life in the Southern Ocean. From penguins, seals, seabirds, and whales, krill provide the bedrock of the ocean’s food system.

Harvested krill is predominantly used in meal for fish farms and livestock feed as well as in health supplements for human consumption. 

As climate change is projected to drive major fluctuations in krill abundance, WWF warns harvesting must be more carefully managed. There is growing evidence that fishing operations concentrated in small areas are having a major impact on reliant species.

In 2024 a critical conservation measure to spread krill fishing across a wider area lapsed, and as a result in 2025 the krill fishery rapidly harvested it’s entire 620,000T annual quota in relatively small, concentrated areas and was forced to close early for the first time ever. 

The consequences of this concentration can be devasting. A recent study of eight years of data on humpback whale pregnancies shows reduced krill availability due to concentrated harvesting leads to fewer pregnancies and therefore increased risk for the species. 

Despite this, at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in October last year there was no agreement on short- or long-term improvements to the krill fishery or designating a new marine protected area in the Antarctic Peninsula region, known as the Domain 1 MPA. This failure of CCAMLR in the last two years to reach consensus on even an interim measure to safeguard the ecosystem is a real concern and one that does not seem to be easily resolved within the now highly politicised CCAMLR decision-making process.

To ensure safe and sustainable fishing of this extraordinary and vital species and wider Southern Ocean ecosystem, WWF is calling for CCAMLR to update the Krill Fisheries Management and to establish a Domain 1 MPA, with seasonal closures to cover key foraging months for predators. 

These changes to management would include: 

CCAMLR agreed in 2023 to harmonise efforts in the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea region to update the approach to management of the krill fishery and establish the Domain 1 Marine Protected Area (D1MPA), but no agreement has yet been reached. 

Rhona Kent, Polar Oceans Programme Manager at WWF-UK:

 “Antarctic Krill are the powerhouse of the Southern Ocean, and mismanagement of the krill fishery is having a major negative impact on the species which depend on krill, such as whales. To protect this extraordinary species and wider ecosystem WWF is calling for an immediate moratorium on krill fishing and a review of the sustainability certification issued by the MSC until more precautionary fisheries management measures are agreed by CCAMLR.” 

The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) also submitted an objection to the recertification, citing serious concerns about growing industrial fishing pressure and dramatic climate-driven impacts on the ecosystem. 

Claire Christian, executive director at ASOC, said:

“Our objection is about ensuring that the environmental impacts of the krill fishery have been accurately assessed. In this case, we don’t think that the assessment fully analysed the unique realities and risks of a fishery that operates in one of the most climate-sensitive ecosystems on Earth.  

 “MSC claims that its label only applies to fisheries with high environmental standards. This case highlights a clear mismatch between the certification and the contemporary reality of the Antarctic krill fishery.”

Image: Pixabay