Nearly all of Antarctica’s iconic wildlife, from penguins to seals and whales, depend on krill, tiny crustaceans that make up the base of the food chain. Krill are also sought after by humans, who scoop them up using massive fishing boats, potentially putting whales in danger, scientists warn.
The fishing boats and whales are “going after the exact same thing; the biggest, largest, densest krill swarms,” Matthew Savoca, an ecologist at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station in the U.S., told Mongabay by phone.
In July 2023, Mongabay reported on fishing trawlers harvesting Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) amid a large pod of whales, defying concerns from scientists that the whales could be injured, killed or outcompeted for food.
Following whales is often the most efficient way to find large congregations of krill, Savoca said.
In December 2024, Jonathan Zaccaria, an expedition leader with National Geographic, reported seeing two Norwegian ships and one Chinese vessel krill fishing in the region; the Chinese ship was near feeding humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
“Krill fishing is happening more than ever before,” Savoca said. “As compared to literally just last year, there are more boats … on the horizon. Russia has notified their intent to start fishing again. China is going to ramp up their fishing.”
Savoca said this increase is largely a result of a failure to move forward with an updated krill management plan that would have created a new marine protected area and require that krill fishing be spread out to create less conflict with whales.
Interactions with krill ships can be dangerous for whales, but the bigger concern is that the vessels are taking critical food when the whales need it most, Savoca said. For example, most humpbacks are only in Antarctica for the Southern Hemisphere summer when they fatten up on krill. Humpbacks largely fast for the winter when they migrate to northern climates to breed. Krill ships also only work in Antarctic waters during the summers, when the weather is agreeable.
“It’s not as though we’re taking their food now, but they’ll get a bunch more, when the boats are gone. That is not how it works for these animals,” Savoca said.
In an emailed response to Mongabay, Javier Arata, executive officer with the Association of Responsible Krill Harvesting Companies (ARK) wrote, “there is no risk from fishing vessels that put in danger these whale populations.” However, AP has reported at least two humpbacks killed and one seriously injured in krill fishing nets last year.
Overall, humpback populations are increasing globally, which ARK said is proof that the fishery “is highly precautionary, allowing only <1% of the actual krill biomass to be fished.”
Savoca said the problem is that the fishery is taking the best 1% of krill — the densest, easiest-to-get swarms. “So, it’s going to make it harder for the whales,” he said.
Banner image of humpback whale by Whit Welles via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).
This story first appeared on Mongabay
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