ABSTRACT
The small crustacean Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana) forms a unique marine resource that plays a crucial role in the Antarctic ecosystem. Krill is the most important food for whales, seals, penguins, squid, and fish of many Antarc tic species. It also constitutes a very large reservoir of animal protein suitable for being exploited for food purposes and for farm animal feeding. The actual land ings of krill are still rather small: about 4 x 105 metric tons (mt) annually (1). The potential sustainable annual catch that would not adversely affect the Antarctic ecosystem has been estimated as high as 108 mt, (i.e., almost equal to the land ings of marine fish).
