'Although it still disgracefully kills hundreds of minke whales in the Arctic, Norway no longer hunts humpback, blue and fin whales in the Antarctic – instead, it just steals their food.'
This is what Mark Lynas writes in the foreword to a report by the environmental organisation WePlanet, entitled 'Licence to krill?'.
The food in question is krill, shrimp-like crustaceans in the ocean that grow to between two and five centimetres in length.
There are vast swarms of them in Antarctica. Krill are a cornerstone of the food chain and provide food for fish, penguins, whales, and seals.
Krill are also of interest to the fishing industry. They are harvested to extract protein and omega-3 for salmon feed, animal feed, and dietary supplements.
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Krill are shrimp-like crustaceans found in the ocean.(Photo: TRR / Shutterstock / NTB)
"There should be no fishing industry there"
In 2025, around 620,000 tonnes of krill were caught in Antarctica.
According to WePlanet, that is enough to feed 850 blue whales over the course of a season or raise 31 million Adélie penguins, four times the current global population.
Norwegian companies catch the most krill, accounting for around 60 per cent of the total catch. This has prompted reactions from environmental campaigners internationally.
"There should be no fishing industry in Antarctica. It's an area that belongs to and is shared by all of humanity," Max Bello tells Science Norway.
"Why should a few people, who have the money and the capacity, be allowed to make themselves even richer by taking what belongs to you, me, our children, and generations yet to come?"
Chilean Max Bello has worked on marine conservation and international ocean policy for several decades in various organisations. He now works to promote greater protection in Antarctica through the Blue Marine Foundation and the Our Antarctica initiative.
Our Antarctica
Our Antarctica is a campaign launched during the UN Ocean Conference in Nice in July 2025.
The campaign brings together researchers, ocean and environmental experts, policymakers and public figures to draw attention to the protection of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, with a particular focus on industrial krill fishing and its management through CCAMLR.
Believes our understanding of the krill population is insufficient
Bello says that there have been few surveys of the krill population. He argues that our knowledge of the krill population is insufficient, and that not enough consideration is given to climate change or to the fact that a range of animal species feed on krill.
"Our understanding of krill abundance is still incomplete. Biomass surveys are limited and some of the underlying scientific assessments are outdated, while the Antarctic environment itself is changing very rapidly," he says.
Krill fishing is putting pressure on an ecosystem that is among the most vulnerable and most affected by climate change, Bello explains.
“My concern is therefore that we are removing krill from a rapidly changing ecosystem without having a sufficiently complete picture of how krill populations, climate change, and recovering predator populations interact," he says.
Bello adds that krill fishing is not a matter of food security.
"Roughly 80 per cent of the krill goes into animal feed, primarily salmon feed.A very small proportion is used to produce oil for dietary supplements. But krill is not the only source of omega-3; it can also be produced from microalgae," he says, adding:
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"This is not about meeting an unmet nutritional need. Krill is being taken from Antarctica to produce salmon and supplements for consumers who already have access to protein and omega-3 from other sources."
There is a limit of 620,000 tonnes
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) determines how much krill can be harvested and in which areas fishing is permitted.
Krill fishing takes place in areas 48.1 to 48.4, near the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Orkney Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands.
The krill population in these areas was estimated at around 60 million tonnes in 2000 and 63 million tonnes in 2019. Annual surveys are carried out in parts of the fishing area.
A catch limit has been set, meaning that fishing must stop if 620,000 tonnes are caught across these four areas.
Andrew Lowther researches penguins and wildlife in Antarctica and regularly travels there to conduct fieldwork. He has served as a scientific adviser to the Norwegian delegation to CCAMLR for ten years.
He does not share the environmental organisations’ concern that fishermen are taking food away from the animals.
Lowther says that their arguments sometimes go around in circles: that there is too little food for whale populations to recover, while at the same time there is insufficient data on the krill population.
"Whale populations are recovering towards their pre-whaling levels. We know that because we have counted them," he says.
The krill population in the fishing areas was estimated at 63 million tonnes in 2019.(Photo: Andy Mann)
Delicate balance
Bello says he came to understand how important krill is to life in Antarctica when he was there himself with the Chilean Antarctic Institute, studying Antarctic fur seals and penguins.
"We saw how dependent they were on krill and how important it was for them to be able to travel to specific areas to find it," he says.
It is a delicate balance. If there is not enough food available, the colony is vulnerable, he adds.
Bello explains that krill, in turn, depend on sea ice. They feed on algae beneath the ice during the winter. If there is less sea ice, there is less food for them.
"As a result, krill are extremely vunerable to climate change," he says.
"Must ask the right questions"
Are penguins struggling because fisheries are taking their food from them?
That is the wrong question to ask, says Lowther.
Penguin populations in Antarctica are definitely declining, he says.
"If you don't like fisheries, you will ask whether penguins are affected by fishing. You forget to ask whether penguins are affected by other things, such as climate change," he says.
As it gets warmer, there is more rain. Penguin chicks' down keeps them warm in cold weather, but not in wet weather, so they can freeze to death, Lowther explains.
Another possible influence is competition with whales.
"Whales have returned, and they consume many times more krill than fisheries catch.I don't support fisheries, but if you are going to use science, you must ask the right questions," he says.
Andrew Lowther on an expedition to Deception Island to study penguins.(Photo: Andrew Lowther)
One per cent of the population
Lowther says that the amount of krill being harvested is well within what researchers have assessed as sustainable.
These calculation take into account how much krill Antarctic animals need and then add extra safety margins.
According to Lowther, these analyses indicate that 688,000 tonnes could be harvested in area 48.1 alone, near the Antarctic Peninsula, without causing problems for the ecosystem.
"The total catch limit, which is not scientifically based, is 620,000 tonnes. Science tells us that you can harvest much more," he says.
620,000 tonnes represents around one per cent of the total krill population in the fishing areas.
No rule preventing fishing from becoming concentrated
Previously, fishing had to be distributed between the four zones, 48.1 to 48.4, but this rule was repealed in 2024, meaning that fishing can now be concentrated to a greater extent, according to Max Bello.
Where and when fishing takes place is just as important as the quantity caught, he says.
"Krill are concentrated in certain areas, and these are often the same feeding grounds used by the predators that depend on krill. If fishing becomes concentrated in these areas, it can create significant local pressure, even if the total catch appears small compared with the estimated total biomass," he says.
Lowther agrees that this needs to change. A new management system is now being discussed within CCAMLR.
It will specify which areas fishing is permitted in, when different areas should be open to fishing, how much can be caught in each area, and how research and monitoring should be carried out there.
Lowther believes the proposal currently on the table is good, provided the parties can reach an agreement.
Hopes Norwegian representatives will work towards greater protection
The next annual CCAMLR meeting will take place in October. Max Bello hopes Norwegian representatives will support strong conservation proposals without calling for increased krill fishing.
"I also hope they will communicate what they are doing to the Norwegian public," he says.
According to a survey conducted by Our Antarctica, 81 per cent of Norwegians are unaware that Norwegian fishing vessels harvest krill in Antarctica. Around half said they were concerned when they learned about krill’s role in the ecosystem and Norway’s involvement.
"Norway needs to stop claiming that it is a strong supporter of conservation in Antarctica when it is the country taking the most," Bello says.
