Refinitiv Newscasts - How krill fishery threatens Antarctic wildlife

Aker Biomarine ASA

24/02/2022 18:18

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Source: Thomson Reuters

Description: The icy waters off Antarctica are estimated to hold between 300
million and 550 million tons of krill - nearly as weighty as all of the
world's cattle. This perceived abundance led fishing fleets to target
Antarctic krill, but now scientists and conservationists fear it could imperil
Antarctic wildlife. Olivia Chan reports.
Short Link: https://refini.tv/3HuNBwZ

Video Transcript:

>> The icy waters of Antarctica are estimated to hold up to 550 million tons
of krill. These tiny string-like creatures are the linchpin in the Antarctic
food web, sustaining a huge number of species from penguins to humpback
whales. There are also increasingly the target for human consumption. A
growing krill industry has been scooping up the crustaceans for use in fish
oil supplements and fish feed. Scientists and conservationists fear that could
further imperil Antarctic wildlife. >> Antarctic krill are the keystone
species in the Southern Ocean. Krill connect all the other species down there.
It's impossible to overstate the importance of krill. >> This perceived
abundance has led global fishing fleets to target antarctic krill. Vessels
from China, Norway, South Korea, Ukraine, and Chile, trawl the regions choppy
waters from December to July. Under established rules within the Antarctic
Treaty system, trawlers must stay largely confined to four areas of the
Antarctic Peninsula and the seasonal catch is kept at 680,000 tons. But polar
scientists say the current limits may not go far enough to safeguard the food
supply for wildlife. Some also say there are indications that the fleets
activity is harming wildlife. >> For the first time ever it was reported that
there were bycatch in the krill industry of whales, three juvenile humpback
whales. And it's actually unknown how they came about to be caught by these
continuous suction trawlers. They were definitely in poor body condition. They
were starving. So they suspect perhaps that the humpbacks were actually
following the krill trawlers to try to get krill and somehow got caught up in
their systems and nets. But it seems really troubling that there were actually
three of them that were caught this year when that's never happened before. >>
The fishing company, Norway's Aker BioMarine, says it has since reinforce its
ships devices to keep marine mammals out of its nets. The krill industry is
set to grow significantly in the next decade. Fish farming, which uses krill
as feed, is the world's fastest growing food sector. And the krill oil market
is projected to rise to more than $900 million by 2026. That's according to a
report by global industry analysts. >> We're really concerned because the
krill fishery is overly concentrated in certain areas around the Antarctic
Peninsula. And that means that they are taking a lot of fish from very small
areas where all the predators are also congregated. So we have huge colonies
of penguins. And the krill fishery is operating right off the shores of these
colonies. >> Mindful of the threat krill fishing poses to penguins, eight
companies have pledged to stay at least 19 miles away from key breeding
colonies during incubation and chick rearing season. But even without
competition from fisheries, the krill supply is under increasing pressure due
to climate change. >> We're already starting to see a debate among scientists
between climate change and industrial fishing what's having a great impact.
But just like across our global oceans, it's the combination of different
stresses that is so difficult for wildlife across the oceans and why we need
to see those ocean sanctuaries in creating those safe havens for wildlife