Krill – the small, shrimp-like crustacean – is a keystone species. It underpins the marine ecosystem of the Southern Ocean, where it is estimated that between 300 and 500 million tonnes of them live. They are consumed by marine animals, including whales, seals and penguins, as well as fish and squid. But is krill now at risk of being overfished? And are the warnings of conservationists being ignored by countries more interested in making a quick profit?

Nowadays, krill features in dietary supplements, livestock food and pet food. It is also processed to produce fish food for use in aquariums and aquacultures. The global krill industry was valued at well over $1 billion (£750 million) last year and is forecast to grow in the next five years to around $2.5 to 3 billion (£1.9 to £2.3 billion). Antarctic krill is also increasingly being used in cosmetics and skincare. Norway’s Aker BioMarine company dominates krill harvesting and was last year responsible for around 70 per cent of the Southern Ocean catch. China came in at a distant second with around 17 per cent and South Korea at 8 per cent.

Krill underpins the marine ecosystem of the Southern Ocean

Several decades ago, the USSR drove krill harvesting in the belief that it might act as a profitable new source of protein at a time when fears were rampant about overpopulation in the global south. In the early 1980s, 500,000 tonnes of krill were harvested annually but a decline set in as it proved unappetising to human consumers. China’s first forays into Antarctica began in the 1980s as well, just as fishing and mining were becoming more prominent points of discussion in the Antarctic Treaty System – the body that regulates and governs the polar continent and........

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