Antarctic krill harvest hits trigger early, concentrating in protected hotspots

In August 2026 the Antarctic krill fishery was forced to close three months early after reaching the 620,000-ton “trigger level” for the second consecutive year. The early closure follows the lapse of regional catch caps in 2024, allowing companies to fish wherever krill are most abundant. Vessel tracking shows that most of the 2026 harvest occurred in the Bransfield and Gerlache Straits of the Antarctic Peninsula and northwest of the South Orkney Islands, with little activity elsewhere in Area 48.

Researchers stress that such concentration threatens the dense krill patches that sustain breeding penguins, seals and recovering fin whales. Ongoing warming of the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea has already cut krill densities by about 59 % since the late 20th century. Argentina and Chile have submitted a marine protected area plan to safeguard these ecosystems, but CCAMLR members have yet to reach consensus. The commission’s October 2026 session will need to reinstate spatial catch limits and consider the protected-area proposal.