26
Blue Whales, Penguins at Risk in Krill Harvest
Times of London
Companies are scrambling to harness the power of Antarctic krill for health supplements, causing mounting concern over the ocean ecosystem among conservationists.
Krill, thought to be the most successful species on the planet, are tiny crustaceans found in every ocean.
In the vast Southern Ocean that encircles Antarctica, krill form the bottom of the food chain for much marine life, including the blue whale.
The total biomass of Antarctic krill is estimated to be 400 million metric tons — roughly twice that of the human population.
For decades the Soviet Union was the only country to harvest krill. Krill mince became a Polish and German speciality in the 1970s, and in the Far East krill is still eaten, with a premium paid for females carrying extra fat.
But the biggest krill market has always been as animal feeds and aquaculture.
“If ever evidence were needed that we’ve fished our way down the food chain, then here it is,” said Willie Mackenzie, of Greenpeace’s oceans campaign. “Krill is the basis of the Antarctic food web, on which fish, seals, penguins and whales all rely.”
• Click here to read the rest of this story in the Times of London.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:53 am
Humans will not be satisfied until we’re the only living things on this planet. Trying to save food or habitat for other life forms is akin to flogging a dead horse. I have given up.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Janet, don’t give up!
December 4th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
You would think that they teach us history classes in higher education to learn from the past. The earth’s ecosystems all rely on the most miniscule organsims to survive. When is someone going to realize that once many of the earth’s animals are extinct and plants have been destroyed that it will all come back to bite mankind in the butt? I can almost guarantee that these krill that fisheries are hunting will no doubt affect the ocean’s biggest and smallest creatures. What are those fish eating people going to do when there are no more fish to eat; since all the krill that they eat are extinct?!
December 4th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Oh pu-leeeze stop whining about damaging the planet. I can’t take it anymore. Maybe instead of using Krill to feed animals/people, the can grind up penguins and seals instead? That takes care of that problem and leaves more krill for the rest of us.
December 5th, 2008 at 8:41 am
im with billy, your all whiners!!!
December 5th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Numbers? I see the 400 million metric ton estimate, but how much is being harvested each year? How much krill is reproduced each year? How much do the whales and penguins need? Without numbers this is just propaganda. I’m also a little confused as to why it’s perfectly acceptable for whales and penguins to eat krill but it’s earth-ending for humans to do so. I don’t care how extreme-vegan you are, everything you eat is a potential food source for something else.
December 5th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Billy
You are a complete imbecile! We have to maintain a balance. It is the responsibility of the human race to make sure we manage our resources on this planet. The problem is, most other nations could give a crap about resource management. Humans are killing this planet. We will eventually become extinct and the planet will rejuvenate itself unless we do manage our resources.
December 5th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
LOL, Billy. I agree. The number of extinct species is far greater than the number of living ones. It’s the natural course of things. I think it naive to think man can alter the course of the earth.
December 5th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Well, as long as we do not over harvest the krill, no big deal, good source of food for some countries. I’m sure we will over harvest though, it is, after all, the human way, excess.
December 8th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
lol @ billy
December 8th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
So no species ever went extinct or was overhunted before mankind arrived? As usual…how do we discern when a species was meant to end prior to our existence? It’s impossible to play this game.
December 10th, 2008 at 2:32 am
Environmentalism is stupid.
Aside from fish, there is nothing we can eat that does not require either the exploitation of farm animals or the conversion of wilderness to farmland. And we can’t eat fish, we might accidentally kill a dolphin trying to catch a tuna. Thus, we have nothing to eat.
Houses are made from hundreds of non-green materials, wood being the primary material. Even switching to bricks requires burning something to fire the bricks, and thus increases carbon levels. Living in natural shelters (like caves) displaces the delicate ecosystems already present. Thus, our only choice is to sleep outdoors.
Clothing today is mostly made from plastics. Plastics come from oil. Oil is bad for the environment. No suitable replacement for oil is available. Wool and other fibers require either the exploitation of farm animals, the alteration of wilderness areas to farmland, or both. The only acceptable material is no material at all.
There is no fuel available for warmth that does not increase carbon levels, and burning wood to stay warm would require cutting down trees – and obvious no-no, for a green.
Thus, to make the greens happy, we must sit out naked in the rain and snow until we die of exposure or starvation, whichever comes first.
Environmentalism is stupid.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Cycles is what the earth does, right now we are eating krill, tommarrow we will be eating bacteria.
December 10th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
The dark green color at the top may look snazzy, but it makes it impossible to read black lettering. Please change the color of the text so it is readable.
December 10th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Check out “Carolina parakeet” on Wikipedia. This info may add fuel to this spirited debate.