Fishing & Whaling in Antarctica
- Unsustainable fishing is a major threat, with species such as the Patagonian Toothfish at risk of becoming endangered
- Overfishing of krill could undermine the entire marine ecosystem because they are a primary food source for many species such as whales, seals and penguins
- If krill populations decline, it could lead to population declines and potential extinctions of other species that depend on krill as a food source
- Illegal and unregulated fishing is difficult to monitor and has increased over the last 10 years
- Fishing also threatens species such as albatross and petrels which get caught in fishing lines and drown
- Historically, commercial whaling was a significant threat with many whale species hunted to near extinction
- Whaling has declined since commercial whaling was banned, though some countries, such as Norway and Japan continue to hunt whales
- It takes a very long time for whale populations to recover because whales are very slow to reproduce
- Most whale species only give birth to one calf at a time, and the gestation period lasts between 9 and 18 months
Number of whales killed