End krill fishing

0 %

Write to the federal Environment Minister today!

First name(Required)

Last name(Required)

Email(Required)

Postcode(Required)

Dear Environment Minister Murray Watt,

I am appalled to learn that krill, the foundation of the entire Antarctic ecosystem, are being vacuumed up by colossal factory trawlers from Antarctica, one of the world’s last great wild places. Given Australia’s strong relationship with Antarctica, you have the opportunity to act.

Krill is vital to the health of the Southern Ocean, supporting the entire food web including our beloved humpback whales, critically endangered penguins and seals.

It should be considered an environmental crime to remove a foundational species from an increasingly fragile ecosystem, such as that in Antarctica. It already faces unprecedented pressure from climate change impacts. For example, krill hatch rates are predicted to drop by as much as 50% this century due to the loss of sea ice cover. These impacts are often not considered when the krill fishing industry is scrutinised.

Krill are also an incredibly important carbon sink, crucial in the fight against the climate crisis. It is paramount that we give krill total protection now, if they are to have any chance in the face of this monumental challenge.

Antarctica and its wildlife deserve protection, not factory trawlers plundering their waters. Given a decade of political deadlock at CCAMLR preventing any conservation outcomes, Australia has an opportunity to step up to protect Antarctica's wilderness. Australia’s Antarctic research is hailed as world-leading, and clearly states the threats faced by the uninhabited continent.

Krill is caught for products we do not need. However, the whales, penguins and seals rely on them.

I call on you to propose a complete ban on krill fishing in Antarctica at CCAMLR this October and continue to advocate for increased marine protected areas (MPAs) in Antarctica – that do not allow krill fishing.

Regards,

We need the Australian government to propose a complete ban on krill fishing.

Krill are the foundation of the Antarctic ecosystem. But every year, giant super-trawlers hoover krill out of the Southern Ocean.

Write to the federal Environment minister today!