News
Take Action to Help Us Fight the Krill Fishery
Monday, 12 Feb, 2024
Today Sea Shepherd is launching the first phase of a global markets campaign focused on tackling the destructive practices of the krill industry. Krill, a tiny crustacean that exists in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean, is a key food source for whales, dolphins, and other animals, many of which migrate for thousands of miles to reach it. Recent years have seen the emergence of a fishery that captures vast quantities of krill for use in multiple industries, including omega-3 supplements, aquaculture feed, pet food, and cosmetics. Sea Shepherd objects to this practice in the strongest possible terms as an unsustainable and dangerous endeavor.
"Krill is an indispensable nutrient source for the entire Southern Ocean ecosystem, as well as a critical carbon sink. The realities of climate change demand that we end the plundering of krill, especially in areas of key concern such as proposed marine sanctuaries and whale feeding grounds."
Peter Hammarstedt, Sea Shepherd Global's Director of Campaigns.
In order to effectively expose the actions of the krill industry and protect the Antarctic ecosystem, we've launched a grassroots-led investigation designed to map the industry and help consumers identify the corporations most invested in the exploitation of krill. Our vessel the Allankay has spent the past three weeks shadowing and monitoring the actions of the krill fishing fleet, but is now calling on help from the public to track the krill from the proposed marine protected areas where they are caught to the places where they are ultimately sold.
Submit Your Photos of Krill Products
Sea Shepherd has created a tool for volunteers like you to take action and assist us in mapping the industry. Scout your local supermarkets and drugstores in search of krill-based products, then take photos of them and submit them to our central database using our simple, interactive interface. Sea Shepherd will then use this data to assess and identify corporate targets for the next stage of our campaign work.
Take Action
"Alarmingly, the fishery that targets the foundation species of the Antarctic ecosystem is legal, and so a diverse toolbox of tactics is required to tackle it on multiple fronts. We will fight this fishery at sea by turning our cameras on the supertrawlers and by taking independent media to the scene of the destruction. We will fight it through the intergovernmental bodies pushing to create marine protected areas that can effectively ban the krill fishery. And now—with the help of a global movement of volunteers—we will take the fight to the markets to slam the brakes on the expansion of the krill fishing fleet," said Peter Hammarstedt.
Learn more about Operation Antarctica Defense