Krill and the diversity of science and society: An introduction to the Third International Symposium on Krill

Abstract

Krill (class Malacostraca, order Euphausiacea) play important ecological roles in all of the world's oceans, and some species (e.g., Euphausia pacificaHansen, 1911 and E. superbaDana, 1850) are fished commercially. The Third International Symposium on Krill was convened in June 2017 to provide an opportunity for face-to-face discussions of the latest global developments in krill research. Seventy-five delegates from 13 countries participated. Presentations were grouped into six sessions: 1) Group living: biology and behaviour; 2) Ecosystems: why are krill so successful?; 3) Myths and legends: links to ice, depth distribution, and population trajectories; 4) New approaches to bust the myths: technology and a look to the future; 5) Krill in winter; and 6) What can we scientists learn from krill fisheries? The final session was followed by an industry-sponsored workshop on krill fishing that was intended to provide an opportunity for dialogue between fishers and researchers. It is apparent that although many advances have been made in understanding the biology and ecology of krill in recent years, several fundamental questions remain (for example, 'how long do krill live?'). In recognition of this, and in an attempt to maintain momentum in krill research, Symposium participants proposed a new Working Group on krill to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), and the SCAR Krill Action Group (SKAG) was adopted in June 2018.