Antarctic krill fishery closes early after hitting catch limits

The Antarctic krill fishery has closed early for the second consecutive year after vessels reached the 620,000-tonne precautionary catch limit set by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

While industry representatives, including Aker QRILL Company CEO Webjørn Barstad, state the early closure demonstrates that the management system is functioning as intended, scientists and conservationists are calling for urgent reforms. Experts at the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research suggest that the repeated early shutdowns signal a need to address spatial management gaps.

Concerns have been raised regarding the concentration of fishing efforts around the Antarctic Peninsula, a critical foraging zone for penguins, whales, and seals. Although the industry has implemented voluntary buffer zones around penguin colonies, advocates argue that formal Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are necessary to protect biodiversity from the combined pressures of industrial fishing and a warming climate. No new MPAs have been adopted by CCAMLR since 2016.