Antarctic krill (*Euphausia superba*)

Antarctic krill fishing is now concentrated in the exact pattern conservation rules were designed to prevent

<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/754898/original/file-20260819-50-428t87.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&rect=0%2C2%2C4240%2C2826&q=45&auto=format&w=1050&h=700&fit=crop" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A trawler fishes for krill in the Southern Ocean.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/OceanFisheriesAntarcticKrillFishing/9fdace78c0754781ac681bc427f23cf6/photo">AP Photo/David Keyton</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The companies fishing for Antarctic krill have harvested so much so quickly that the <a href="https://thefishsite.com/articles/antarctic-krill-fishery-closes-for-2026">season had to close</a> in August 2026, three months before it was scheduled to end. That’s the second consecutive year of an early closing.</p> <p>The fishing industry has said these developments are evidence that the management system is <a href="https://www.akerbiomarine.com/news/the-antarctic-krill-fishery-close