"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.
SEE ALSO:
"Takeaways From AP’s Reporting On Antarctica’s Burgeoning Krill Fishery" (AP)
"Video: How Surging Demand For Krill Is Raising Concerns Over Antarctica’s Future" (AP)
"Russia, China block plans for Antarctic marine protections" (AP: Nov. 4, 2022)
Advertisement 
