A Greenpeace campaign to protect the Antarctic Ocean, backed by 1.7 million people globally, has received the unprecedented support of the vast majority of krill fishing companies operating in Antarctic waters, according to greenpeace.org. The move was announced at Greenpeace’s Antarctic 360° event in Cambridge, U.K., attended by scientists and Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem, who joined Greenpeace’s expedition to the Antarctic in January.
This major announcement from a group of the largest krill fishing companies will see nearly all krill companies operating in the Antarctic voluntarily stop fishing in huge areas around the Antarctic Peninsula, including ‘buffer zones’ around breeding colonies of penguins, to protect Antarctic wildlife. Krill is a small crustacean which is a keystone species in the Antarctic food web, eaten by penguins, seals, whales and other marine life.
The companies have also pledged to support the scientific and political process for the creation of a network of large-scale marine protected areas in the Antarctic, including areas in which they currently operate. The companies are all members of the Association of Responsible Krill (ARK) harvesting companies, and represent 85 percent of the krill fishing industry in the Antarctic.
“The momentum for protection of the Antarctic’s waters and wildlife is snowballing. A huge movement of people globally has been joined by scientists, governments, celebrities and now even the companies fishing in the Antarctic. This is a bold and progressive move from these krill fishing companies, and we hope to see the remainder of the krill industry follow suit,” said Frida Bengtsson, Greenpeace Nordic Protect the Antarctic campaign.
Kristine Hartmann, executive vice president at Norway-based Aker BioMarine, a krill supplier to the natural products industry, said, “Safeguarding the Antarctic ecosystem in which we operate is part of who we are. Our ongoing dialogue with ARK members, scientists and the community of environmental NGOs (non-governmental organizations), including Greenpeace, is what makes additional efforts like this possible. We are positive that ARK’S commitment will help ensure krill as a sustainable and stable source of healthy omega-3s for the future.
“Through our commitment we are showing that it is possible for no-fish zones and sustainable fisheries to co-exist. Our intention with this commitment is to support CCAMLR’s (Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) work on establishing a network of large-scale science-based marine protected areas in the Antarctic,” Hartmann added.
In dialogue with Greenpeace, the world’s leading krill companies have committed to stop fishing in some of the identified ecologically sensitive areas recommended for protection. From 2020, these krill companies will observe a permanent closure of these areas, while continuing to support the process to create a vast protected area in the region.
A Greenpeace campaign to protect the Antarctic Ocean, backed by 1.7 million people globally, has received the unprecedented support of the vast majority of krill fishing companies operating in Antarctic waters, according to
greenpeace.org. The move was announced at Greenpeace’s Antarctic 360° event in Cambridge, U.K., attended by scientists and Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem, who joined Greenpeace’s expedition to the Antarctic in January.
This major announcement from a group of the largest krill fishing companies will see nearly all krill companies operating in the Antarctic voluntarily stop fishing in huge areas around the Antarctic Peninsula, including ‘buffer zones’ around breeding colonies of penguins, to protect Antarctic wildlife. Krill is a small crustacean which is a keystone species in the Antarctic food web, eaten by penguins, seals, whales and other marine life.
The companies have also pledged to support the scientific and political process for the creation of a network of large-scale marine protected areas in the Antarctic, including areas in which they currently operate. The companies are all members of the Association of Responsible Krill (ARK) harvesting companies, and represent 85 percent of the krill fishing industry in the Antarctic.
“The momentum for protection of the Antarctic’s waters and wildlife is snowballing. A huge movement of people globally has been joined by scientists, governments, celebrities and now even the companies fishing in the Antarctic. This is a bold and progressive move from these krill fishing companies, and we hope to see the remainder of the krill industry follow suit,” said Frida Bengtsson, Greenpeace Nordic Protect the Antarctic campaign.
Kristine Hartmann, executive vice president at Norway-based Aker BioMarine, a krill supplier to the natural products industry, said, “Safeguarding the Antarctic ecosystem in which we operate is part of who we are. Our ongoing dialogue with ARK members, scientists and the community of environmental NGOs (non-governmental organizations), including Greenpeace, is what makes additional efforts like this possible. We are positive that ARK’S commitment will help ensure krill as a sustainable and stable source of healthy omega-3s for the future.
“Through our commitment we are showing that it is possible for no-fish zones and sustainable fisheries to co-exist. Our intention with this commitment is to support CCAMLR’s (Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) work on establishing a network of large-scale science-based marine protected areas in the Antarctic,” Hartmann added.
In dialogue with Greenpeace, the world’s leading krill companies have committed to stop fishing in some of the identified ecologically sensitive areas recommended for protection. From 2020, these krill companies will observe a permanent closure of these areas, while continuing to support the process to create a vast protected area in the region.
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