The fishery for Antarctic krill – recent developments

Nicol, Stephen; Foster, Jacqueline; Kawaguchi, So

doi:10.1111/j.1467-2979.2011.00406.x

Cited by 276 publications

(211 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In addition, the Marine Stewardship Council's recent certification of one company's krill fishing as being sustainable* and the introduction of new products (e.g., Omega-3 krill oil, a popular dietary supplement) suggest that the fishery may be poised to expand further in the near future (41). There now is overwhelming evidence to confirm significant declines in both Adélie and chinstrap penguin populations throughout the WAP and Scotia Sea and therefore to discount the hypothesis that future changes in Adélie and chinstrap populations will be directly related to sea-ice extent and inversely related to each other (1-5).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability in krill biomass links harvesting and climate warming to penguin population changes in Antarctica

Trivelpiece

Hinke

Miller

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

366

432

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The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and adjacent Scotia Sea support abundant wildlife populations, many of which were nearly extirpated by humans. This region is also among the fastestwarming areas on the planet, with 5-6°C increases in mean winter air temperatures and associated decreases in winter sea-ice cover. These biological and physical perturbations have affected the ecosystem profoundly. One hypothesis guiding ecological interpretations of changes in top predator populations in this region, the "sea-ice hypothesis," proposes that reductions in winter sea ice have led directly to declines in "ice-loving" species by decreasing their winter habitat, while populations of "ice-avoiding" species have increased. However, 30 y of field studies and recent surveys of penguins throughout the WAP and Scotia Sea demonstrate this mechanism is not controlling penguin populations; populations of both ice-loving Adélie and ice-avoiding chinstrap penguins have declined significantly. We argue in favor of an alternative, more robust hypothesis that attributes both increases and decreases in penguin populations to changes in the abundance of their main prey, Antarctic krill. Unlike many other predators in this region, Adélie and chinstrap penguins were never directly harvested by man; thus, their population trajectories track the impacts of biological and environmental changes in this ecosystem. Linking trends in penguin abundance with trends in krill biomass explains why populations of Adélie and chinstrap penguins increased after competitors (fur seals, baleen whales, and some fishes) were nearly extirpated in the 19th to mid-20th centuries and currently are decreasing in response to climate change.S ea ice plays a critical role in structuring ecosystem dynamics throughout the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and Scotia Sea, and variations in sea-ice extent are hypothesized to affect penguin populations directly. As seasonal sea-ice extent and duration declines in this region, the Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), which favors pack-ice habitat in winter, should decline in population size, whereas the closely related chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica), which forages in ice-free water during winter, should increase (1-5). The foundation for this hypothesis is based on a short (7-y) series of simultaneously observed decreases in nesting populations of Adélie penguins and increases in chinstrap penguins following winters with low sea ice in the South Shetland Islands during the 1970s and 1980s (1). However there now is overwhelming evidence that, in contrast to expectations, both Adélie and chinstrap penguin populations are declining throughout the WAP and broader Scotia Sea region. Results and DiscussionAdélie and chinstrap penguin populations have declined more than 50% during the last 30 y at study colonies in the South Shetland Islands (Fig. 1A). Moreover, since 1987, interannual changes in Adélie and chinstrap breeding populations have been positively correlated (Pearson's r = 0.7; P < 0.001; n = 21; Fig. 1B). T...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability in krill biomass links harvesting and climate warming to penguin population changes in Antarctica

Trivelpiece

Hinke

Miller

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

366

432

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“…Additionally, short durations of suitable weather conditions and the remote nature of many polar research sites make manned aerial census flights logistically or financially impractical. These challenges, together with a growing need to document population shifts due to climate change and the potential impacts of industrial-scale fishing (see Forcada et al 2012;Nicol et al 2012), have led to an increased need for more flexible platforms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A small unmanned aerial system for estimating abundance and size of Antarctic predators

et al. 2015

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Quantifying the distribution and abundance of predators is integral to many ecological studies, but can be difficult in remote settings such as Antarctica. Recent advances in the development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), particularly vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, have provided a new tool for studying the distribution and abundance of predator populations. We detail our experience and testing in selecting a VTOL platform for use in remote, windy, perennially overcast settings, where acquiring cloud-free high-resolution satellite images is often impractical. We present results from the first use of VTOLs for estimating abundance, colony area, and density of krilldependent predators in Antarctica, based upon 65 missions flown in 2010/2011 (n = 28) and 2012/2013 (n = 37). We address concerns over UAS sound affecting wildlife by comparing VTOL-generated noise to ambient and penguingenerated sound. We also report on the utility of VTOLs for missions other than abundance and distribution, namely to estimate size of individual leopard seals. Several characteristics of small, battery-powered VTOLs make them particularly useful in wildlife applications: (1) portability, (2) stability in flight, (3) limited launch area requirements, (4) safety, and (5) limited sound when compared to fixed-wing and internal combustion engine aircraft. We conclude that of the numerous UAS available, electric VTOLs are among the most promising for ecological applications.

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“…Increasingly integrated global markets for fish and fish products, combined with vertical integration of product chains, is increasing the influence also of major seafood companies [55]. Financially powerful private seafood actors are increasing their ability to engage in innovations (including new harvesting technologies) with high risks and potentially high rewards, as exemplified by recent increases in krill harvesting in the Southern Ocean by companies from South Korea, Norway and also, increasingly, China [56,57]. Krill represent an important resource for a rapidly growing aquaculture market, and such global pressures are likely to increasingly challenge existing institutions.…”

Section: (B) Soviet Fishing and Marine Regime Shiftsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Globalization, marine regime shifts and the Soviet Union

Österblom

Folke

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Regime shifts have been observed in marine ecosystems around the world, with climate and fishing suggested as major drivers of such shifts. The global and regional dynamics of the climate system have been studied in this context, and efforts to develop an analogous understanding of fishing activities are developing. Here, we investigate the timing of pelagic marine regime shifts in relation to the emergence of regional and global fishing activities of the Soviet Union. Our investigation of official catch statistics reflects that the Soviet Union was a major fishing actor in all large marine ecosystems where regime shifts have been documented, including in ecosystems where overfishing has been established as a key driver of these changes (in the Baltic and Black Seas and the Scotian Shelf). Globalization of Soviet Union fishing activities pushed exploitation to radically new levels and triggered regional and global governance responses for improved management. Since then, exploitation levels have remained and increased with new actors involved. Based on our exploratory work, we propose that a deeper understanding of the role of global fishing actors is central for improved management of marine ecosystems.

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The fishery for Antarctic krill – recent developments

Cited by 276 publications

References 28 publications

Variability in krill biomass links harvesting and climate warming to penguin population changes in Antarctica

Variability in krill biomass links harvesting and climate warming to penguin population changes in Antarctica

A small unmanned aerial system for estimating abundance and size of Antarctic predators

Globalization, marine regime shifts and the Soviet Union

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