New Study to Probe Future of Whale Food

Amid new evidence that krill is less abundant than previously thought and signs of increasing fishing pressure, a new cooperative survey of the future food source is set to begin. The survey aims to update for the first time in nearly 20 years the crustacean's biomass in the main fishing area between South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula waters.

The survey also marks the first time that scientists from the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) have joined International Whaling Commission scientists in the same project.

Why the survey? According to new estimates, the global krill biomass is significantly smaller than it's been in years past - ranging from 62 to 137 million tons. Previously the figure of 500 million tons was often quoted as the global biomass, committee members said. These same committee members reported that possible reasons for these differences include underestimates of the range of krill, underestimates of krill density by acoustics, and overestimates of krill demand by predators, such as whales.

To understand the importance of this survey, one must first understand the importance of krill to the marine economy. The commercial krill fishery began in 1972 and peaked at 425 870 tons in 1985-86, when it contributed approximately 13 percent of the global annual catch of crustaceans. Recent low catches reflect a decrease in the worldwide demand, rather than overfishing. Krill fishers have long faced problems with processing the tiny crustaceans for food, and it is currently harvested mainly for the aquaculture and recreational bait markets. Catches totaling 103,318 tons were caught during 1998-99 by Argentina, Japan, Korea, Poland and Ukraine. Trawlers from these countries, together with USA and Germany are planning to fish again this southern summer. CCAMLR 2000 organizers say that over the last 5 years, scientists have recognized that more up-to-date estimates of krill biomass are needed. The synoptic survey by ships from the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Russia will sail transects in four "boxes" between Jan. 10 and Feb. 15.

Estimates of the pre-exploitation biomass of krill, to be later analyzed at a May/June workshop in La Jolla, Calif., will be used in the krill yield model to estimate sustainable yield for the area and precautionary catch limits. The non-government Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition argues that no new or enlarged krill fisheries should be conducted until the results from the survey have been made available to the CCAMLR Scientific Committee. It also wants Vessel Monitoring Systems and full observer coverage in place.

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