Exploring how science, conservation and fisheries management can work together to protect Antarctic krill and the Southern Ocean.

Antarctic krill are small but essential to life in the Southern Ocean. They provide a vital food source for penguins, seals and whales, while also playing an important role in ocean nutrient and carbon cycles.

Yet managing the Antarctic krill fishery is becoming increasingly challenging. Although overall krill populations appear relatively stable, fishing is becoming concentrated in areas where marine predators also depend on krill for food.

Finding Common Ground for Antarctic Krill Management, developed by GRID-Arendal, the University of the Arctic (UArctic) and Zoï Environment Network, examines the ecological importance of krill, the challenges facing fisheries management and opportunities for greater cooperation.

Combining scientific evidence, detailed maps and an overview of key management decisions, the publication explores how a more precautionary, ecosystem-based approach could help balance sustainable fishing with the protection of Antarctic marine life.

What You’ll Find

The publication brings together scientific research, fisheries data and visual analysis to explore:

• Krill and the Southern Ocean ecosystem: Why krill matter for marine biodiversity, food webs and ocean nutrient cycles.
  
• Changing fishing patterns: How Antarctic krill catches have increased and become concentrated in particular areas.
  
• Fisheries governance: The role of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), including the challenges of reaching agreement on spatial catch limits.
  
• Detailed maps and visualisations: Where krill, fishing activity, marine predators and protected areas overlap.
  
• Opportunities for common ground: How distributing fishing activity across different areas and seasons, supported by scientific monitoring, could help reduce pressure on sensitive ecosystems.
  

Why It Matters

Managing Antarctic krill is about more than controlling how much is caught. Where and when fishing takes place can also affect the marine animals that depend on krill, particularly during critical feeding and breeding periods.

With previous spatial catch limits having expired in 2024, there is a growing need for an agreed approach that considers both the fishery and the wider ecosystem.

This publication aims to support informed discussion among policymakers, scientists, conservation organisations and the fishing industry. By making complex scientific and management information accessible through clear explanations and detailed maps, it highlights opportunities to find common ground and safeguard the long-term health of the Southern Ocean.

Skills: Environmental Policy Environmental Storytelling Creative Direction Research Literacy Storytelling Visual Storytelling

Tags: Antarctica Marine Biodiversity ocean governance