Antarctic krill is the largest biological resource at sea. According to experts estimate that the total amount of Antarctic krill organisms is 650-100 million tons per year, countries have been coveting for a long time, have gone to Antarctic "enclosure" to investigate, in fact, they are optimistic about Antarctica's rich aquatic and mineral resources, and want to share a piece of it.
Antarctic krill
Antarctic krill, is a kind of krill living in the waters of Antarctica, adult shrimp length of 45-65mm, the maximum 90mm, life of 6 years, like to live in groups, density of up to 1-30,000 per cubic meter.
Antarctic krill has high nutritional value, high protein and low fat, with content of 16.31% and 1.3% respectively. It is also rich in minerals and amino acids, which contain 8 essential amino acids needed by the human body.
Antarctic krill also has high medical value, containing a certain amount of chitin, astaxanthin and krill oil, which has a good effect on enhancing human immunity, lowering cholesterol, and preventing diabetes and coronary heart disease.
Antarctic krill, a granary of the sea
Antarctic krill fishing has gone through three eras
The former Soviet era
Since the 1960s, with the continuous growth of the world's population and the overfishing of fisheries, fishery resources have gradually dried up, and some countries have targeted large numbers of Antarctic krill.
In the 1970s, Antarctic krill entered the commercial fishing stage. As early as 1972, the Soviet Union formulated the "Antarctic Exploration Program" and grasped the distribution area of Antarctic shrimp swarms, as well as the amount of resources of more than 1 billion tons.
The Soviet Union, as the first country to "eat crabs", opened the commercial fishing of Antarctic krill. From the initial tens of thousands of tons, to the peak of 460,000 tons (1982), accounting for 93% of the total catch of the year, the total catch of the year was 528,000 tons, which is also the highest catch so far.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited the mantle of the former Soviet Union, but no longer had its former glory. Its catch fell off a cliff and is now less than 10,000 tonnes.
The Japanese and Korean era
In the 1980s, Japan and South Korea followed suit and joined the ranks of commercial fishing, with Japan and South Korea maintaining catches of about 50,000 tons and 30,000 tons respectively, but the output was still a thousand worlds different from that of the former Soviet Union.
Norwegian era
In the twentieth century, Norway, Chile, Poland and other countries joined the Antarctic krill fishing team. Norway, in particular, has invested a lot of money in the development of new technologies and the development of new fishing equipment, which has greatly improved the efficiency of fishing. Since then, Norway has flourished and has been at the top for a long time, ushering in a new era of krill fishing.
At present, Norway's annual catch is maintained at about 200,000 tons, accounting for half of the total catch of various countries.
Norwegian krill fishing vessel
Antarctic krill catches by country
As of the 2018/19 fishing season, there are 13 countries where Antarctic krill is harvested, namely Norway, Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, Chile, Poland, the United States, China, the United Kingdom and other countries. The total annual catch is 380,000 tons, which is far lower than the heyday of the former Soviet Union, and there is still a big gap from the limit of 620,000 tons.
Therefore, in the next few years, countries around the world still have a lot of "room to play". Because of the commercial value of shrimp fishing, other countries are also eager to join the feast and share the granaries of the sea.
Histogram of Antarctic krill catches around the world
Antarctic krill are harvested in conservation
Antarctic krill are an important food source for marine life such as whales, seals, penguins, seabirds and more. The National Environmental Green Organization calls for the protection of antarctic ecology to prevent disorderly and predatory fishing, resulting in an imbalance in Antarctic ecology.
In April 2018, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) mandated that all institutions involved in Antarctic krill fishing must register with CCAMLR and accept its requirements and regulations.
At present, there are 25 member countries of the Antarctic Commission for the Conservation of Marine Living Resources, among which China is listed.
At the same time, ccAMLR stipulates that krill fishing should avoid multiple Antarctic ecologically sensitive areas. Fishing companies, including China, South Korea, Norway and Chile, have pledged to stop operating in sensitive areas.
Sensitive areas delineated by CCAMLR
Krill fishing will usher in the Chinese era
Although CCAMLR has strict fishing rules, the vast antarctica is rich in krill, and krill multiply rapidly, with reserves of 650-100 million tons. Even if no-go zones are avoided, there are hundreds of millions of tons of fishing areas for countries to catch.
According to biological experts, the annual harvest of 50 million tons of krill will not affect the marine ecology.
Although the mainland Antarctic krill fishing started late, it has developed rapidly and has full potential. It is now in second place, behind Norway.
In 2009, the mainland sent ships to Antarctica for commercial fishing for the first time, and the catch of 2 fishing boats that year was 1946 tons.
From 2014 to 2016, the harvest of Antarctic krill on the mainland increased year by year, with 4-5 fishing vessels and an average annual catch of about 30,000 tons.
In June 2016, the mainland began to prepare for the construction of the largest professional Antarctic krill fishing vessel, the "Deep Blue".
In May 2019, the "Deep Blue" independently designed and manufactured by the mainland was launched in Guangzhou.
The ship can realize the continuous processing and automatic packaging and transportation of shrimp meat, frozen shrimp, shrimp meal and shrimp oil products, and the krill catch volume of a voyage is nearly 10,000 tons.
Navy
On June 3, 2021, the "Fuxinghai" Antarctic krill fishing vessel was officially signed to build, with a displacement of 20,000 tons, and the delivery date was December 31, 2022, with a cost of 438 million yuan. The ship's performance, displacement, automation and other aspects surpass the "Deep Blue".
This is currently the largest and most advanced ocean fishery fishing and processing integrated vessel in China, reaching the world's advanced level.
In addition, two Antarctic krill fishing and processing vessels worth 1 billion yuan and about 9,000 tons signed by Fujian Pingtan County Distant Water Fishery Group Co., Ltd. and Shandong Huanghai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. will be put into operation soon. It is estimated that at least 50,000 tons of Antarctic krill can be harvested per vessel per year.
With the blessing of "Deep Blue", "Fuxing Sea" and two Pingtan County distant-water fisheries, the annual new catch is more than 130,000 tons.
summary
By the end of 2022, the number of vessels registered with CCALM in the mainland will reach 6, namely "Fulonghai", "Longda", "Longteng", "Longkai", "Deep Blue" and "Fuxinghai".
After the launch of two Pingtan County oceans, they will also join the organization, which can reach 8 Antarctic krill professional fishing fleets.
In 2022, Antarctic krill catches will exceed 100,000 tonnes.
Although there is still a certain gap from Norway's catch, after the construction of the vessel into the water, more than 130,000 new production capacity will be released, and the total fishing capacity can reach 190,000 tons, which is a step away from Norway.
China has a strong economic base and the ability to design and manufacture large ships, and I believe that in the near future, it is only a matter of time before it catches up with Norway.
In the near future, Antarctic krill fishing will usher in the Chinese era.
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