Licensed to Krill…
Read your article “Licensed to Krill” If it becomes too popular are we advocating a “license to kill” the baleen whales which I understand – krill is their only food. Even if there is an abundance of krill at present – there was also an abundance of cod when the white man fist came to N America – so many all you had to do was lower a basket and haul it up full At least if we use Salmon we can grow them in farms if we have to not that I agree with farms in the sea but it can be done on land if Omega is that important to sustain human life – yes I do take Omega 3 from wild Alaskan salmon until we fish them all out.
Cheers
John W.
Hi John,
Yes, it is true that the Antarctic ecosystem is very dependant upon krill as a primary food source and for this reason there are very stringent controls to ensure ecological- and environmental-friendly harvest of krill.
The management and control of the krill population is led by the 25-state member Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which is the official and reliable international organization responsible for krill fishery management. No shortage of Antarctic krill has ever been forecast by CCAMLR.
Facts:
- Many studies have been undertaken and they show that the biomass of Antarctic krill, one of the world’s most abundant biomass, may amount to 500 million tonnes. This standing stock is subject to annual natural reproduction providing renewable krill for predation, natural mortality and human exploitation.
- The precautionary catch limit set by the CCAMLR was 6.6 million tonnes for 2008 and is reviewed annually. It was increased from 4.9 million tonnes in 2005/06 based on the results of recent surveys.
- The annual natural reproduction of Antarctic krill is at least several hundred million tonnes constantly renewing the standing stock and granting sufficient krill for all marine mammals and fish, birds and human exploitation.
- Less than 120,000 tonnes (less than 2% of the precautionary catch limit) is actually harvested, which means that the catch limit is unlikely to be reached in the foreseeable future.
- The precautionary catch limits on the krill fishery are under constant review by the Scientific Committee of CCAMLR which uses an ecosystem approach to management.
- Antarctic baleen whales are estimated to consume 85 million tonnes per year.
- Again, less than 120,000 tonnes of the annually set total catch limit of 6.6 million tonnes are harvested by fisheries.
Also, keep in mind that the bulk of the annual catch is used by the feed industry (e.g. fish farms). So you can see, even if the popularity and demand for krill oil (for human nutrition) increased dramatically by 50-fold, we’d just be approaching the precautionary catch-limit.
Hope this helps clarify your concerns. Stay healthy!
Dr. Know
