WASHINGTON, July 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to a report by the Associated Press that the Antarctic krill fishery may have to imminently close due to an unprecedented high catch, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) is calling on world governments to take urgent action. The historic catch amount occurred due to the lapse of a key conservation regulation requiring the fishery to distribute fishing over a larger geographic area.

Krill is at the base of the food chain in Antarctica and increasing demand from companies seeking to sell fishmeal, pet food and dietary supplements has led to a spiraling increase in catch. International negotiations at CCAMLR, the body charged with conserving marine living resources in Antarctica, broke down last year, resulting in lowering of protections related to krill catch. This reduction in protection allows the entire krill quota to be caught in a very small area, increasing impacts to krill predators - penguins, seals, and whales - that depend on krill to survive.

The next round of negotiations on these issues will be held in Australia in October. Scientific research has previously shown that krill predators are negatively affected by fishing at an even lower level of catch than was seen this year.

Claire Christian, ASOC Executive Director, said: "CCAMLR Member States are not meeting their obligation to protect the marine ecosystems of the Antarctic Peninsula, an area already under stress from rapid global warming. When CCAMLR meets in October, the Members must advance critical protections for the Antarctic Peninsula through the creation of new krill fishery management measures and the adoption of the Domain 1 Marine Protected Area." 

Dr. Johnny Briggs, director of Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, said: "When precaution gives way to exploitation, the consequences are stark: whales, penguins, and other predators suffer. The krill catch in the Antarctic Peninsula has hit the trigger level for the first time ever, just months after CCAMLR allowed key fishing protections to expire. The entire permitted catch was taken in a highly concentrated area, leaving the Southern Ocean's most iconic predators with far less to feed on. If CCAMLR hopes to retain credibility at this year's meeting in October, its members must restore precautionary, ecosystem-based krill management along with designating an MPA around the Antarctic Peninsula."

Emily Grilly, WWF-Australia Ocean Conservation Manager, said: "Antarctica's fragile future is under siege. The record-breaking krill catch and the emergence of localised fishing 'hot spots' in the Antarctic Peninsula are deeply alarming. With the rollback of krill fishing regulations in 2024, we anticipate devastating impacts on the wider ecosystem. Whales, penguins and seals will suffer as their primary foraging grounds are increasingly targeted by industrial trawling fleets. CCAMLR must confront this challenge head-on and reaffirm its purpose: to conserve Antarctic marine wildlife."

Dr Horacio Werner, Executive Director, Agenda Antartica, said: "We are concerned about the increase in krill catches, especially in the Antarctic Peninsula area. This is a historic moment, as it is the first time the trigger level has been reached. We are convinced that CCAMLR has the necessary tools to manage the krill fishery in a way that minimizes the impact on krill and its predators. It is imperative to implement a new management system that distributes catch limits on a smaller scale and is accompanied by robust ecosystem monitoring. However, this will only be effective if key areas are safeguarded under the proposed Marine Protected Area for the Antarctic Peninsula."

Notes to editors:

• CCAMLR, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, is the international body responsible for the conservation of Antarctic marine ecosystems and the management of fishing in the Southern Ocean.
• The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) is a coalition of conservation organizations from around the world that defends the integrity of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems from encroaching human activities. Its mission is to protect the Antarctic and Southern Ocean's unique and vulnerable ecosystems by providing the unified voice of the NGO community.
• For more information, please read Protecting a Changing Southern Ocean

Media contacts:
Barbara Cvrkel, bcvrkel@pewtrusts.org, +1 2025105670

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SOURCE Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition