Bettina Meyer News Today

For the seventh year in a row, the international community has declined to establish new marine protected areas (MPAs) around Antarctica. Scientists, conservationists and some governments have been pushing for greater protections, concerned that the melting of ice in Antarctica has reached alarming levels, jeopardizing the existence of several key animal species in the region. […]

After blue whales, fin whales are the largest whales in the world and human beings have hunted both species to near-extinction. After the ban on commercial whal

The first scientifically documented observation of fin whales feeding en masse off Antarctica’s Elephant Island follows conservation efforts.

Researchers from Alfred Wegener Institute have spotted hundreds of Southern fin whales feeding together near Antarcticas Elephant Island.

By Gloria Dickie

The icy waters off Antarctica are estimated to hold between 300 million and 500 million tonnes of krill — nearly as weighty as all of the world's cattle.

By Gloria Dickie

In Antarctica, does a burgeoning krill fishery threaten wildlife?

A humpback whale, likely lured by a trawling net capturing masses of Antarctic krill, became entangled last month and died in the Southern Ocean. Scientists say the humpbacks may have been malnourished while forced to compete for food with a burgeoning industry harvesting the tiny crustaceans - the linchpin in the Antarctic food web - for use in pharmaceuticals and fish feed. The fishing company, Norway's Aker BioMarine, said these were its first cases of whale bycatch in 15 years of harv...

A humpback whale, likely lured by a trawling net capturing masses of Antarctic krill, became entangled last month and died in the Southern Ocean. Scientists say the humpbacks may have been malnourished while forced to compete for food with a burgeoning industry harvesting the tiny crustaceans - the linchpin in the Antarctic food web - for use in pharmaceuticals and fish feed. The fishing company, Norway's Aker BioMarine, said these were its first cases of whale bycatch in 15 years of harv...