Stop the Krill Collapse Before Antarctic Life Starves

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Sponsor: Free The Ocean

Krill may be tiny, but their collapse would starve whales, cripple the Antarctic food web, and weaken the ocean’s ability to store carbon—unless urgent action is taken now.

Stop the Krill Collapse Before Antarctic Life Starves

Antarctic krill are no larger than a paperclip, yet they sustain one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth. Penguins, seals, fish, seabirds, and even the largest whales rely on dense krill swarms for survival1. When krill numbers fall, the entire Southern Ocean food web weakens.

Scientists now warn that krill populations in key Antarctic regions have dropped to levels considered unsustainable2. Once the global stronghold for krill, parts of the Southwest Atlantic sector have seen sharp declines in density and fewer large swarms. These losses are not theoretical. They are already altering where predators can feed and breed.

Climate Change Is Shrinking Krill Habitat

Warming waters and shorter sea-ice seasons are pushing krill south and compressing their habitat1. Sea ice plays a critical role in the krill life cycle, especially for juveniles that depend on ice-associated algae for food and shelter. As winter ice forms later and melts earlier, fewer young krill survive to adulthood.

Long-term analyses reviewed in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment link these changes to sustained drops in adult krill density and a decline in the size and frequency of dense swarms2. These shifts place added stress on species already struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing Antarctic.

Why Krill Matter Beyond Antarctica

Krill do more than feed wildlife. Through their feeding and waste, they move enormous amounts of carbon from surface waters to the deep ocean, keeping it out of the atmosphere3. This natural carbon transfer helps regulate Earth’s climate.

As krill numbers fall, this carbon-removal process weakens. Scientists warn that a sustained decline could reduce the Southern Ocean’s ability to buffer the planet against rising greenhouse gases4.

Overfishing Adds Dangerous Pressure

Climate stress is not acting alone. Industrial krill fishing has expanded as demand grows for aquaculture feed and dietary supplements5. Fishing effort concentrates in the same regions where krill spawn and where predators gather to feed, increasing competition at the worst possible time.

The Antarctic krill fishery is overseen by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which committed more than a decade ago to creating a network of marine protected areas. Only two exist today. Critical krill habitats remain exposed while political deadlock delays action.

The Window to Act Is Closing

Norway is the world’s leading krill-fishing nation. With that position comes the power to lead. Supporting stronger protections and the creation of new marine protected areas would help prevent irreversible damage to Antarctic ecosystems.

Krill cannot absorb endless pressure from warming seas and expanding fisheries. Add your name to urge Norway to lead global efforts to protect Antarctic krill before this vital species crosses a point of no return.

Sign the petition today.

More on this issue:

  1. Australian Antarctic Program, Antarctica.gov.au (19 December 2023), “Antarctic Krill Head South.”
  2. So Kawaguchi et al., Nature Reviews Earth & Environment (19 December 2023), “Climate Change Impacts on Antarctic Krill Behaviour and Population Dynamics.”
  3. Andrea Thompson, Scientific American (29 August 2016), “Krill Are Disappearing from Antarctic Waters.”
  4. Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, ASOC (2021), “Conserving Antarctic Krill.”
  5. Elizabeth Claire Alberts, Mongabay (11 August 2022), “Climate Change and Overfishing Threaten Once ‘Endless’ Antarctic Krill.”

The Petition

To the Norway Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy,

Krill are no larger than a paperclip, yet their role in the ocean is enormous. These tiny crustaceans form the foundation of the Antarctic food web, sustaining penguins, seals, fish, seabirds, and even the largest whales on Earth. Without healthy krill populations, the Southern Ocean’s ecosystem cannot function.

Krill also serve the planet in a less visible but equally vital way. Through their feeding and waste, they help move vast amounts of carbon from the surface ocean to the deep sea, reducing the amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This natural process supports climate stability at a time when the world can least afford to lose it.

Today, Antarctic krill populations have dropped to levels scientists now describe as unsustainable. Climate change is eroding sea ice and warming the waters krill depend on, but overfishing is compounding the damage. Industrial trawlers increasingly target dense krill swarms in the same regions where wildlife feeds and breeds, creating direct competition with whales, penguins, and seals.

Norway is the world’s leading harvester of Antarctic krill. With that position comes responsibility and influence. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources was tasked more than a decade ago with establishing a robust network of marine protected areas to safeguard krill and the ecosystems that depend on them. Yet only two protected areas exist today. Political obstruction and resistance from powerful fishing interests have stalled progress, leaving critical krill habitats exposed.

Norway has an opportunity to change this trajectory. By publicly supporting the creation of new marine protected areas and backing science-based limits on krill fishing, Norway can lead rather than follow. This leadership would help ensure that fishing pressure does not push already stressed krill populations past the point of recovery.

Protecting krill is not an attack on responsible fisheries. It is an investment in long-term sustainability, ensuring that Antarctic ecosystems remain productive, resilient, and capable of supporting life far into the future. Precaution today prevents collapse tomorrow.

We respectfully urge you to commit Norway to stronger protections for Antarctic krill, to support the establishment of new marine protected areas, and to work with the international community to put conservation ahead of short-term gain.

These actions will help preserve the Southern Ocean, protect wildlife that depends on krill, strengthen the ocean’s ability to regulate Earth’s climate, and ensure a healthier future for all life on this planet.

Sincerely,

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