In Antarctica, one of the last great deserts of our planet, there is a remarkable revolution.
In the waters of the Southern Ocean where whalers killed more than 2 million whales in the 20th century, which brought many species to the brink of extinction, the population is recovering. Humpback whales have made the fastest recovery since whaling was banned in 1986, and populations are near pre-whaling levels. Blue whales, the largest animal in the world, have been slow.
Last week, I spoke to two independent researchers doing scientific research near the South Orkney islands. They recorded seeing many groups of more than 100 whales, in “stunning and amazing places” reminiscent of those described by the first polar explorers. But during this process, a new threat has emerged that pits whales against humans: industrial trawlers fish together with whales for Antarctic krill – the basis of the Antarctic ecosystem and the food source of many large Antarctic species.
More on Antarctic whale recovery and the growing krill operation, after this week’s articles.
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In February, Sea Shepherd, a non-profit organization once known for its aggressive anti-whaling tactics, was once again sailing in the Southern Ocean. Changing the direct action of searching for data, it received scientists on its 55-meter (180-ft) vessel, Allankay. Using line-transect surveys, as well as drone-based measurements and sounding, the scientists recorded the whales as well as the presence of krill trawlers, a growing Antarctic fishing industry that conservationists fear could destroy the whales.
Speaking to me from Allankay during the storm, Dr Matt Savoca, of Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station, said the waters around the South Orkney islands “may have the most whales anywhere in the world”. He says his goal was twofold. First, to test that theory, and second, to answer a simple question: is Antarctic krill fishing sustainable?
“We found these whales are feeding and the krill industry is pulling the krill and the question is: is this sustainable or does it have an effect on the number of whales recovering?” he asks.
A similar question was asked by David Attenborough in his film Ocean last year, with footage of krill trawlers fishing nearby and feeding whales. Also, to some extent, in my section this month the durable “blue tick” label that can be awarded to the world’s largest krill harvester was examined. We have also written about the importance of crustaceans in the Antarctic environment.
Concerns about krill fishing have been growing since the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), an organization set up to protect the Antarctic region from exploitation, reached a standoff. In 2024, China and Russia, two countries in the CCAMLR, blocked the renewal of an important international conservation agreement that bans krill fishing in areas of environmental concern in the Southern Ocean. In 2025, the commission again failed to reach an agreement on conservation measures. This has raised concerns about declining krill populations in the area, which are the main food source for whales, penguins and seals, in key feeding grounds. The political turmoil also comes amid growing fears among scientists that accelerating climate change in the region is putting krill populations at risk.
The good news, according to Savoca, about the recovery of whales in Antarctica, is the large number of sightings of so-called super aggregations of 100-plus feeding whales in the water, and sometimes two such sightings are reported in one day.
“It’s amazing that every day we’re in the South Orkneys with good (far from granted) weather, we can be sure to see a pod of 100-plus whales” says Savoca. “The fact that groups of this size are common here is very surprising. It is amazing to see the fines from the top to the top, as the first explorers who arrived in this area described a hundred years ago”.
These numbers, says fellow researcher Ted Cheeseman, who founded and runs Happy Whale, an independent NGO led by citizen science, are “very exciting”. Nothing like it, he says, has been seen in the area since incredible footage of 1,000 whales was captured by Scottish scientist Conor Ryan in 2022 – believed to be the largest group of whales ever recorded.
However, Cheeseman and Savoca have seen firsthand how close krill trawlers, which can weigh up to 3,000 metric tons, come close to feeding the whales, putting them in direct competition.
“Penguins and whales and a lot of seals eat this krill,” says Cheeseman. “Whales have always been the biggest predators here, but now they have a predator, the krill trawlers, which are 100 times the size of the humpback. And these bigger predators take nutrients out of the system.”
He says the whales not only eat krill, but also use the nutrients the krill provide to feed back into the fragile Antarctic ecosystem. Industrial krill trawlers, which grind krill for use in food and pet food, and to feed fish farms, completely remove nutrients from the ocean, he says.
“When a whale eats krill, it excretes krill. There’s a nutrient utilization process,” says Cheeseman.
Cheeseman and Savoca propose that, in the absence of a diplomatic agreement through CCAMLR to protect krill, there should be a 30km (19-mile) “buffer zone” where krill fishing is prohibited around the South Orkney island where the whales feed. “Krill fishermen have agreed to voluntary 30km buffers around penguin colonies,” says Cheeseman. Savoca adds: “There is a tremendous opportunity to protect the environment through cooperation.
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