In 2018, Chile and Argentina put forward an ambitious plan to create a 670,000 square mile marine protected area (MPA) around the iconic Antarctic Peninsula, which would safeguard krill, the cornerstone of the Antarctic ecosystem and a vital food source for baleen whales, penguins, and seals.

FASTEST-WARMING REGION IN THE WORLD

Not only is the Antarctic Peninsula one of the fastest-warming regions on the planet, it’s also currently under threat from super trawlers targeting krill for health supplements, despite the availability of alternatives.

However, the Antarctic Peninsula MPA initiative has faced continual obstruction by two members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR): the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation. Conservation measures within CCAMLR require unanimous approval from all 26 member states.

To break the impasse, a critical meeting – the Harmonization Symposium 2024 – has been convened in Seoul, South Korea from July 16th to 20th. Although this symposium may not garner significant media attention, it represents the best opportunity to advance the Antarctic Peninsula MPA.

The moment should not be wasted.

If the member states can find common ground, then the MPA will be presented for a vote at the upcoming CCAMLR meeting in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, in October.

HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS FOR MPAs IN ANTARCTICA

Creating marine protected areas in Antarctica is not an impossible task; it’s been done before. The South Orkney Islands Southern Shelf MPA was established in 2009 as the first international MPA in the High Seas, an area of water outside of any one country’s national jurisdiction. In 2016, the Ross Sea Region MPA was unanimously approved, becoming the largest MPA in the world.

SUPER-TRAWLERS VS. WILDLIFE

The urgency for the Antarctic Peninsula MPA is more critical than ever.

For the third consecutive year, ice coverage around Antarctica in 2024 has reached near-historic lows, marking the lowest three-year average ever observed since satellite records began in 1979.

Two years ago, Stanford University researchers observed the largest congregation of fin whales in Antarctica—nearly 1,000 individuals—since the 1986 Moratorium on Commercial Whaling. However, they also witnessed four massive super trawlers, each one of them with holds the size of two Olympic-sized swimming pools, plowing through the feeding frenzy of whales, targeting the krill that the whales depend on. The previous year, four dead humpback whales were found entangled in their trawl nets.

For the past two Austral summers, Sea Shepherd has documented this same horrific and growing conflict between industrialized fishing trawlers and wildlife.

I've personally seen hundreds upon hundreds of whales, narrowly avoiding these monstrous ships, which have tripled in number. This alarming trend was reported by the Associated Press during their expedition with Sea Shepherd in the Southern Ocean.

WHY THE SEOUL MEETING MATTERS NOW

The krill supertrawler fleet fishing in the proposed MPA is expanding, while krill populations are shrinking. In 2022, over 190 countries adopted an international commitment to set aside 30% of the ocean as marine protected area by 2030. Only 3% of the world’s ocean is presently safeguarded.

Six years have passed since Chile and Argentina first proposed the Antarctic Peninsula MPA. Now, only six years remain for governments worldwide to fulfill their commitments.

As representatives from 26 countries convene in South Korea, less than 5% of the Southern Ocean is fully protected.

The 2024 Harmonization Meeting in Seoul is a pivotal moment that cannot be squandered. 

Now is the time for action. Let's raise our voices and urge leaders to protect Antarctica and, with that, safeguard our planet’s future.

PRACTICAL WAYS YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

Join Our Krill Market Campaign:  Help us identify and challenge corporations profiting from krill exploitation by sharing photos of krill-based products from local stores.

Reduce the Demand: Support Antarctic wildlife and combat climate change by avoiding krill-based supplements, aquaculture feed, pet food, and cosmetics.