VOA科学技术2023--Tiny Antarctic Ocean Animal Raises Big Questions

Tiny Antarctic Ocean Animal Raises Big Questions

Antarctic krill, a relative of shrimp¹ and crabs², are only a few centimeters in size. But scientists say they are important to the area's food web, including food for some of the Earth's largest animals, whales.

Fishing ships in the Antarctic gather krill for use as food in an increasing number of products. That has activists⁴ concerned.

Alistair Allan is an activist³ with the Bob Brown Foundation, an Australian environmental group with ties to the country's Green Party. Allan said he was worried the ship activity could harm the whales: "You have the ships almost running into whales feeding on the same things they're fishing."

Krill fishing is banned in U.S. waters because of concerns it could affect whales, seals and other sea animals. But krill fishing has gone on for about 60 years. It is believed to have started when the former Soviet⁵ Union sent an industrial fleet to the Antarctic in search of a supply of high-protein food.

Demand has increased over the years. Krill is used a lot in the fish farming industry. They are also used in nutritional⁶ supplements, pet food and other high-protein foods.

The Associated Press reports that 10 to 12 ships, mainly from Norway and China, head to the South Orkney Islands, to fish for krill each December. Fishing countries agreed to a catch limit under a conservation agreement. In 2022, that level was about 416,000 metric tons.

A coalition⁷ of countries led by the U.S. has called for additional restrictions⁸. The coalition says krill is important to other animals. It also says that krill removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. However, China and Russia have opposed efforts to put in place new restrictions.

There are reports that the krill boats are a danger to whales. In addition to that, a study from the University of California, Santa Cruz found that pregnancy⁹ rates among humpback whales in Antarctica have fallen sharply. The reason, it said, might be a lack of krill.

Also, research published by the World Wildlife Fund, a Swiss conservation group, says that krill remove 23 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The research suggests that krill do this by eating phytoplankton, microscopic¹⁰ forms of life that make food from sunlight and carbon dioxide.

Emma Cavan is a biologist at Imperial College London. She helped write the report. She said: "Antarctic krill are worth more to nature and people left in the ocean..."

More rules for krill harvesting

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine¹¹ Living Resources, or CCAMLR, is an international body with 27 member states established in 1982. The group, based in Tasmania, Australia, makes rules for conservation issues like krill fishing.

But some supporters of the group say it has to consider climate change in its rules.

Clair Christian¹² is head of the Antarctic and South Ocean Coalition, a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C. Her group represents environmental groups at CCAMLR meetings. Christian told the AP that CCAMLR is supposed to support conservation, "It's not to enable fishing," she said.

The Australia-based Association of Responsible Krill harvesting companies (ARK) represents members who harvest 90 percent of the Antarctic krill. Members accepted self-imposed restrictions in 2018.

The group has agreed to place stronger rules on moving krill between ships and to study the effects of climate change on krill.

But the group says its catch limits should be higher. It noted¹³ that its members catch less than one percent of the estimated 60 million metric tons of krill found in the main Antarctic fishing grounds. That leaves 99 percent for whales and other animals.

Activists, however, are calling for reform. Helena Herr studies whales at the University of Hamburg, in Germany. Herr briefly¹⁴ served in an advisory¹⁵ position with the ARK group. She believes krill fishing should be banned. She said she did not trust the estimates of the amount of krill in the Antarctic.

"The data is based on such vague assumptions that we don't really know what we're doing," she said.

Words in This Story

food web –n. the interconnected system of animals and plants that provide food and nutrients¹⁶

conservation –v. the preservation¹⁷ and management of animals, plants, and natural resources for the present and the future

self-imposed –adj. a requirement placed on yourself; a requirement that a group places on itself instead of having an outside group place requirements on it

vague –adj. lacking details or clarity; something that could mean anything

1 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

2 crabs   

n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• As we walked along the seashore we saw lots of tiny crabs. 我们在海岸上散步时看到很多小蟹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

6 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

10 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

11 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

15 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

16 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。