Antarctic krill underpin the entire Southern Ocean food web, and commercial harvesting creates welfare concerns for both the krill themselves and the many species that depend on them.
Krill fisheries operate at the base of the Antarctic food web, and their concentration in predator foraging zones creates competition that affects the welfare of dependent species. Penguins and seals that cannot find sufficient krill during breeding seasons show reduced chick and pup survival. The scale of krill harvesting for supplement production requires precautionary management given ecosystem-wide welfare implications.