Antarctica’s waters act as Earth’s largest carbon vault. Night-migrating fish ferry carbon two kilometers down, locking it away for centuries1. Swarms of Antarctic krill feed penguins, seals, and great whales while shuttling nutrients that spark blooms across the globe4. This engine steadies weather patterns and cools our atmosphere.
Rapidly Escalating Threats
Today that balance buckles. Industrial fleets crowd the Antarctic Peninsula, hauling thousands of tonnes of krill from shrinking ice margins. Penguin colonies have collapsed by more than half since the 1980s6. Lost longlines drift for decades, snaring wildlife and shedding microplastics into fragile food webs2. Grey-water dumping pours detergents and heavy metals into once-pristine bays2. Meanwhile, warmer seas strip oxygen, forcing sharks and tuna toward waiting hooks1.
A Dangerous Protection Gap
Only five percent of the Southern Ocean lies inside marine reserves3. Scientists, treaty parties, and the United Nations High Seas negotiations all agree: at least thirty percent of global oceans must be fully protected by 2030 to keep ecosystems and economies afloat5. CCAMLR already has fully drafted proposals for East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Enacting them now would lift secure coverage to ten percent—an essential first step.
The clock runs fast. Krill fleets plan record catches next season. Deep-sea mining ventures eye nodules on untouched sea floors1. Each delay erodes the climate service that shields every coastal community.
Call For Action Now
CCAMLR meets soon. Delegates can choose bold stewardship or another year of stalemate. Make sure they hear a global demand for action.
**Add your name—call on CCAMLR to create new Marine Protected Areas and safeguard Antarctica’s life-support system before it slips away.**
