Overfishing Krill (Secondary) - Lesson One

• Social Studies
• History
• +3
• 5th,6th Grade
• 6th,7th Grade

Introduction

This lesson explains what krill is and where it can be found.

Instructions

Time: 45 minutes

Contact: [e-mail]
© Sea Shepherd 2025

Instructions

Teachers Guide Krill Fishing.pdf

Lesson 1 - What is krill and where does it live?

This lesson is provided by Sea Shepherd.  Sea Shepherd was founded in 1977 and is a marine conservation organisation working to protect the oceans and marine wildlife.  Sea Shepherd works globally on a range of issues impacting the oceans, running numerous direct action campaigns each year. 

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Do you know what krill is?

Ask students “Do you know what krill is?”

Introduction to IUU fishing and the impact of overfishing.

Krill

Krill is a tiny, shrimp-like crustacean that grows to around 3 - 6 cm in length.  

There are 85 different species of krill found around the world.

Introduction to IUU fishing and the impact of overfishing.

What do krill eat?

Krill consume phytoplankton, which is a single celled plant, that drifts at the water’s surface in summer, and the algae that grow on the underside of ice sheets in winter.  
Phytoplankton live off the rays of the sun and carbon dioxide, along with nutrients provide by species like whales.

Introduction to IUU fishing and the impact of overfishing.

Where are krill found?

Krill are found in every part of the ocean from the Arctic to the Antarctic.  They are a critical part of the Antarctic ecosystem, where 5 species of krill can be found.

Introduction to IUU fishing and the impact of overfishing.

How abundant are krill?

Krill makes up the largest biomass on the planet. They may be small individually, but there is an estimated 400 million ton of Antarctic krill in the Southern Ocean (estimated in 2021).

This may sound like a lot, but krill populations have actually declined by 80% since the 1970s.
Ask students: “Why do you think this has occurred?”

This video (8.52 min) shows krill in antarctica.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7SU_4Orym4

www.seashepherdglobal.org

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LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Refer Lesson Guide for activity suggestions.