British Antarctic Survey warns krill trawling regulations fall short amid the ongoing UN Ocean Conference

Governments have gathered at the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) in Nice, France, to renew and form tighter pledges to protect the Earth’s lungs. Nutrition Insight dives into the regulations and sustainability of Antarctic krill trawling amid rising public scrutiny and climate-stressed krill populations, with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). 

Krill is a source of eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA), astaxanthin, and phospholipids used to make supplements and nutritional ingredients for humans and pets. This year’s UNOC 3 theme is accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean. 

Broadcaster, biologist, and natural historian David Attenborough’s new documentary “Ocean” purports to expose the destructive effects of bottom trawling — dragging large nets across the ocean floors that destroy ancient ecosystems — and krill trawling, which casts massive midwater nets that capture tiny crustaceans in predator-feeding zones.

The Sea Shepherd, an ocean activist naval vessel whose footage is featured heavily in the film, details tense standoffs between ocean predators and krill supertrawlers, which harvest among superpods of hungry whales. Highlighting its dangers, the ocean conservationist shares that in April, eight supertrawlers fished around Coronation Island, Alaska, US, in a marine protected area, leading to the death of a humpback whale caught in the net.

The organization, which exposes illicit fishing practices hidden from public view, warns that krill is being “aggressively harvested” to create omega-3 supplements, even when plant-based alternatives exist.” It reports that, unlike traditional trawling, where fishing is often paused, krill-hunting ships “never pause” and indiscriminately remove up to 110 tons of krill per day. 

According to Sea Shepherd, these industrial approaches are dangerous as they risk whale entanglements, which have traveled thousands of kilometers to feed and often trail the ships to feed on what’s left behind.

Additionally, they criticize the practice of transshipment, where caught krill is directly transferred onto refrigerated cargo ships at sea, enabling continuous fishing without returning to port. Although this practice is legal under the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the organization calls on the convention to adopt the proposed Antarctic Peninsula Marine Protected Area (MPA) to safeguard ecosystems.

Krill trawling for supplements is drawing criticism for harming Antarctic ecosystems and whales (Image credit: Chris Gilbert at BAS).The CCAMLR is an international agreement aiming to conserve Antarctic marine resources. Its 27 members and ten additional states collaborate annually to manage fisheries.

Antarctic krill’s role in the Southern Ocean ecosystem

British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) spokesperson tells Nutrition Insight that the krill fishery, which operates in the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, could cause harm if it takes place during the breeding season.

“Krill is a key species in Southern Ocean food webs, providing an efficient link between primary production (phytoplankton) and large marine predators such as baleen whales, penguins, fur seals, and fish,” explains the spokesperson.

“The CCAMLR catch limit for krill in that region (620,000 tons) is around 1% of the estimated biomass of krill, which in itself is not a concern. However, there could be consequences if that catch becomes concentrated in areas important for krill-dependent predators, particularly if such concentrations occur during the breeding season, when food demand is higher. Land breeding animals are more constrained in their feeding range during the breeding season.”

A spokesperson at the CCAMLR tells us that all of the fisheries it manages, including krill, meet or exceed the sustainability target of SDG 14.4, which aims to regulate sustainable fishing and end overfishing and illegal practices. CCAMLR also protects vulnerable marine ecosystems in the waters surrounding Antarctica.

Environmental impacts on krill

BAS’s spokesperson says its research tracks changes in krill abundance and to what extent these changes are linked to climate change or industrial fishing.

The lapse of key fishing limits may allow unsustainable krill catches in sensitive areas (Image credit: Martin Collins at BAS).“BAS undertakes a range of research and monitoring in respect of krill abundance and distribution. It undertakes an annual krill survey in an extensive area to the northwest of South Georgia every austral summer [over 30 years of ongoing data collection]. Also, it undertakes smaller-scale krill surveys in alternate months to the north of South Georgia.” 

“BAS also monitors krill-dependent predators at two locations on South Georgia and Signy Island in the South Orkney Islands. Analysis of krill caught in scientific nets between the 1920s and 2010s suggests that the krill population in the southwest Atlantic sector has shifted southwards in recent decades as a consequence of environmental change.”

Several companies harvest Antarctic krill for dietary supplements and pet food. However, BAS’s spokesperson points out that from a conservation perspective, the purpose of the krill is irrelevant when the harvesting practices affect ecosystems.

Regulations falling short

BAS discusses whether current regulations by CCAMLR are sufficient to protect krill populations and the wider Antarctic food web from long-term damage.

“CCAMLR’s Conservation Measure, which split the 620,000 ton catch limit between four Southwest Atlantic regions, lapsed in 2024, allowing all 620,000 tons to be caught in the Antarctic Peninsula or South Orkneys. There is an urgent need to re-establish some form of spatial distribution of this catch,” says BAS’s spokesperson.

“Until the current (2024/25) season, CCAMLR had an agreed and binding Conservation Measure that split the 620,000-ton catch limit between four areas in the Southwest Atlantic sector. That limited catches in the Antarctic Peninsula region to 155,000 tons, the South Orkneys region to 279,000 tons, the South Georgia region to 279,000 tons, and the South Sandwich Islands region to 93,000 tons.” 

The spokesperson explains that this distribution of catches was an interim measure intended to be in force until an agreement on the distribution of catches to smaller-scale management areas was reached. Even though most CCAMLR members wanted the measure to continue, it lapsed at last year’s meeting, with some member nations refusing to support further extension.

Scientists warn that current regulations fail to account for climate-driven shifts in krill populations (Image credit: Jonathan Watkins at BAS).“The lapse of that measure means that all 620,000 tons could be caught in the Antarctic Peninsula region or the South Orkneys. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are subject to additional domestic measures that limit the catch.” 

“There is now an urgent need to re-establish a measure that splits the catch limit into smaller management units to minimize the risk of localized depletion of krill,” stresses the spokesperson. 

They warn that current regulation allows for potential substantial increases to catch krill, up to 5.61 million tons in the Southwest Atlantic sector. 

“Any increase in catch beyond 620,000 tons will need to be done incrementally and accompanied by a comprehensive ecosystem monitoring program to ensure that krill-eating predators and the associated ecosystem are not adversely impacted. CCAMLR regulations do not protect krill or the food web from the effects of climate change.”

The BAS spokesperson is calling for the urgent re-establishment of measures that split the catch limit into smaller management units to minimize the risk of localized krill depletion in the Antarctic food webs.

“Further measures to facilitate more frequent revision of catch limits should also take account of climate change, particularly climate-mediated change in the distribution of krill and the impact of such changes on the ecosystem,” says the spokesperson.