Antarctic krill fishery closes early for second year running

Just one day after World Krill Day on 11 August, the Antarctic krill fishery officially closed for the season after reaching its 620,000-tonne catch threshold months ahead of schedule.

It is the second consecutive year that the limit has been reached early. In 2025, the fishery closed on 1 August; this year, vessels stopped fishing on 12 August. The repeat closure is a stark reminder of the speed at which this industry is expanding and why stronger safeguards are urgently needed.

Tiny Antarctic krill are enormously important. These shrimp-like crustaceans form the foundation of the Southern Ocean food web, sustaining whales, penguins, seals, fish and seabirds. For recovering whale populations returning to Antarctic feeding grounds, vast concentrations of krill provide the energy needed to survive, migrate and reproduce.

The 620,000-tonne threshold is intended to prevent the fishery expanding beyond this level without further scientific assessment. But the total volume caught is only part of the picture. Where and when krill are taken matters just as much.

Over the past two years, fishing around the Antarctic Peninsula has increased by 117%. This is one of the Southern Ocean’s most important wildlife feeding areas, where predators rely on dense, locally concentrated swarms of krill. Removing large quantities from particular places can leave whales and other animals competing with industrial fishing vessels for food, even if the overall catch remains within the agreed threshold.

Until 2024, measures adopted by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) required catches to be distributed across several areas. Introduced 16 years earlier, these restrictions were designed to reduce the risk of localised depletion and protect krill-dependent predators.

However, the measure expired when CCAMLR’s members failed to reach the consensus needed to renew or replace it. Fishing effort can now become more heavily concentrated in the most productive and ecologically important areas.

The consequences are already visible. Krill catches have risen from approximately 341,000 tonnes two years ago to more than 620,000 tonnes, an increase of over 80%. This pressure comes as the Antarctic Peninsula experiences rapid environmental change and krill habitat shifts in response to a warming climate. ASOC reports that CCAMLR’s Scientific Committee has concluded that the present concentration of fishing is not precautionary and has recommended a new approach that spreads fishing effort more effectively.

The fishing industry argues that the early closure demonstrates the existing limit is being enforced. That may be important but reaching the threshold early for two consecutive years also shows why an overall limit cannot provide sufficient protection on its own. Strong spatial safeguards are needed to prevent too much krill being removed from the places where wildlife needs it most.

CCAMLR members are expected to consider a modernised krill management system and a proposed marine protected area around the Antarctic Peninsula at their annual meeting in October. They must overcome the political deadlock and act on the scientific advice.

Protecting whales means protecting their food. The fate of the Southern Ocean’s largest animals may depend on how carefully we manage one of its smallest.