The Antarctic krill fishery is once again rapidly approaching its catch limit and is expected to close before the end of the month.
This will be the second consecutive early closure of the fishery, following last year’s unprecedented shutdown four months before the end of the season for the first time in its history after reaching its 620,000-tonne trigger limit. Conservation groups say another early closure would underscore and highlight growing pressure on the fishery and the urgent need to update the current management system.
Krill are the foundation of the Southern Ocean ecosystem, supporting penguins, whales, seals and countless other Antarctic species while also supplying a growing global market for omega-3 nutritional supplements, aquaculture feed, and pet food.
Although total catches remain well below estimated overall krill biomass, scientists have repeatedly warned that the critical issue is not simply how much is caught, but where it is caught. Fishing has become increasingly concentrated around the Antarctic Peninsula—the same region where wildlife depends on dense krill aggregations during breeding and feeding seasons.
Following the expiry of CCAMLR Conservation Measure 51-07 in late 2024, safeguards that distributed fishing effort across management zones lapsed. CCAMLR’s own Scientific Committee subsequently concluded that the resulting concentration of fishing was “not precautionary” and called for urgent reform. No replacement management system was agreed at the Commission’s 2025 annual meeting.
The anticipated closure also comes as formal objections lodged by the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) and WWF to the Marine Stewardship Council’s announcement of recertification of the fishery remain under consideration, placing renewed scrutiny on claims that the fishery represents a global model of sustainable fishing. Presently, several of ASOC’s Objection Findings have been upheld by the independent investigator, ASI, and await a response from the certifying body.
The Southern Ocean is changing rapidly. Current krill biomass estimates are based on surveys conducted before unprecedented losses of Antarctic sea ice and accelerating climate impacts. Scientists continue to identify significant uncertainties surrounding krill abundance, distribution and the cumulative effects of climate change and industrial harvesting.
Earlier this year, the IUCN listed both the emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal as Endangered, identifying declining krill availability linked to climate change as a significant threat to the resilience of Antarctic ecosystems.
CCAMLR Members must agree when they meet in October later this year to:
- Restore precautionary spatial management of the krill fishery.
- Adopt a modern ecosystem-based management system that prevents concentrated fishing in wildlife hotspots.
- Establish the long-proposed Antarctic Peninsula (Domain 1) Marine Protected Area.
- Identify a clear, time-bound pathway for the adoption of a representative system of marine protected areas by 2030 to reach 30% protection of the Southern Ocean.
- Ensure conservation decisions remain firmly grounded in independent science and intergovernmental governance.