What do blue whales, penguins and salmon have in common? They
all have the same diet. Much of the ocean is fed by a two-inch
crustacean: krill. Antarctic krill congregate in huge masses in
the Southern Ocean, dense enough to fill the belly of a blue
whale, the world’s largest animal. Penguins will march hundreds
of miles to feast on krill, building up blubber that will help
them survive their cold months on land. Even flying seabirds
will dive in and partake of the abundance. Without this tiny
creature, the ocean would starve. But like so much else in the
ocean, krill’s future is in danger. It is also a popular food
for salmon, giving the fish’s meat that distinctive pink color.
When humans build fish farms for predatory fish like salmon, we
need to feed them. And that means that humans are now fishing
krill to feed our farms, taking away potential meals from
whales, penguins, and other wild creatures. Oceana is working to
prevent the overfishing of krill and the other small creatures
that keep the oceans’ fo