The destructive krill fishery in Antarctica has been shut down early, due to the catch limit of 620,000 tonnes being reached on 12 August, 2026.

This marks the second consecutive year that the catch limit has been reached months earlier than usual. It is a warning sign that the krill fishery in Antarctica is emptying the Antarctic Ocean faster than ever after spatial distribution conservation measures lapsed in 2024.

Bob Brown Foundation wrote to the Australian environment minister months ago, calling on Australia to propose a ban on krill fishing at this year’s Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in October.

“Antarctica is one of the world’s last remaining wild places, and supertrawlers plundering krill from this fragile ecosystem are an environmental crime”, said Alistair Allan, Antarctic and Marine Campaigner at Bob Brown Foundation.

“These supertrawlers are emptying the Antarctic Ocean, faster than ever before, taking a critical food source away from the penguins, whales, seals and seabirds who all rely on krill to survive.”

“With Antarctica under huge pressure from a rapidly heating climate, krill are more vulnerable than ever. Now is the time to ban krill fishing entirely, to give this incredible ecosystem, and the animals that live there, a chance into the future.”

“Australia, as the country that proposed the mineral mining ban in Antarctica in 1991, should once again be on the right side of history and propose a ban on krill fishing at this year’s CCAMLR meeting in October, which is held in Hobart.”

“Companies that sell krill products, such as Swisse here in Australia, must also immediately remove krill from their range. There is no excuse for companies not to do all they can to help protect Antarctica,” said Alistair Allan.