This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle is calling for an end to krill fishing near Antarctica as officials from the U.S., China, Russia and 24 other governments negotiate a possible deal to dramatically expand fishing for the crustacean that's a vital food source for whales in the international waters surrounding the ice-covered continent. "There is no sustainable extraction of krill in Antarctica possible, period," Earle, who in 1990 became the first woman to serve as chief scientist of the U.S.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in an interview in Rome, where she was promoting her conservation work. "Krill are critical to the integrity of the entire system—whales, fish, birds, seals, sea lions, you name it." Her comments come as negotiators wrap up the annual meeting in Australia of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, or CCAMLR, an international organization that manages the world's southernmost fishery. The group has been deadlocked for years over an industry-backed management plan to expand krill fishing, which environmentalists and CCAMLR's own scientific committee insist should be accompanied by the long-delayed creation of a California-sized marine protected area near the environmentally sensitive Antarctic Peninsula that would restrict fishing.
It was first proposed a decade ago by Argentina and Chile. Krill fishing around Antarctica shut down early in August for the second year straight after trawlers from mostly Norway and China hit a 620,000-metric-ton limit before the season's scheduled end. The tiny crustaceans are primarily harvested for feed used to raise farmed fish and for the oil in red omega-3 capsules taken to improve heart, brain and joint health.
But other sources of omega-3 exist—in fish oil, algae, even some vegetables—and nutritionists say it's not necessary to take dietary supplements if you eat a balanced diet rich in the fatty acids. Researchers increasingly are also studying the role krill play in removing huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Krill aren't just a bulwark against climate change—they're victims, too.
As oceans warm, the krill populations, which need water colder than 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit) to survive, have started to migrate toward cooler waters closer to the South Pole, research has shown. Earle, 91, was among those who pioneered the use of scuba diving to conduct marine research after launching her career in the 1950s studying algae. In recent years, "Her Deepness," as she is sometimes known, has focused on conservation through Mission Blue, an organization that champions so-called "Hope Spots" in the oceans critical to marine health.
Its work supports a United Nations target of protecting at least 30% of the world's oceans by 2030. Although krill are one of the planet's largest biomasses, Earle, a vegetarian, said there was no "safe number" that can be extracted without harming the surrounding Antarctic ecosystem. She singled out for criticism Norway's Aker BioMarine, the pioneer in harvesting and marketing products made from krill.
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