"The Antarctic Endeavour glides across the water’s silky surface as dozens of fin whales spray rainbows from their blowholes into a fairy tale icescape of massive glaciers.

But as a patrol of environmentalists approaches the Chilean super trawler in an inflatable boat, the cruder realities of modern industrial fishing come into view.

From one of the ship’s drain holes, a steaming pink sludge cascades into the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean. It’s the foul-smelling runoff from processing the 80-meter (260-foot) factory ship’s valuable catch: Antarctic krill, a paper-clip-sized crustacean central to the region’s food web and, scientists say, an important buffer to global warming."

Joshua Goodman and David Keyton report for the Associated Press October 13, 2023. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Takeaways From AP’s Reporting On Antarctica’s Burgeoning Krill Fishery" (AP) [3]

"Video: How Surging Demand For Krill Is Raising Concerns Over Antarctica’s Future" (AP) [4]

"Russia, China block plans for Antarctic marine protections" (AP: Nov. 4, 2022) [5]