Rush on 'red gold' harms ecosystems
In: Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 0028-0836; e-ISSN 1476-4687, more
|  |
| Keywords |
Calanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus, 1770) [WoRMS]; Euphausia superba Dana, 1850 [WoRMS]
|
| Abstract |
Norway is harvesting krill (Euphausia superba) in the Southern Ocean and copepods (Calanus finmarchicus) in the northeast Atlantic Ocean on an unprecedented scale for use in pharmaceuticals and aquaculture foodstuffs. Government and big business are hailing this exploitation as a sustainable enterprise on the grounds that the biomass of this ‘red gold’ is enormous. Scientists have a responsibility to refute such ecological illiteracy, to inform public debate and to raise a precautionary flag. |
|
