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The Curious Life of Krill: A Conservation Story from the Bottom of the World
"Makes you feel as if you're part of an engaging dinnertime conversation." — Science News
Krill—it’s a familiar word that conjures oceans, whales, and swimming crustaceans. Scientists say they are one of most abundant animals on the planet. But when pressed, few people can accurately describe krill or explain their ecological importance. Antarctic krill have used their extraordinary adaptive skills to survive and thrive for millions of years in a dark, icy world far from human interference. But with climate change melting ice caps at the top and bottom of the world, and increased human activity and pollution, their evolutionary flexibility to withstand these new pressures may not be enough.
Eminent krill scientist Stephen Nicol wants us to know more about this enigmatic creature of the sea. He argues that it’s critical to understand krill’s complex biology in order to protect them as the krill fishing industry expands. This account of Antarctic krill-one of the largest of eighty-five krill species-takes us to the Southern Ocean to learn firsthand the difficulties and rewards of studying krill in its habitat. Nicol lays to rest the notion that krill are simply microscopic, shrimplike whale food but are in fact midway up the food chain, consumers of phytoplankton and themselves consumed by whales, seals, and penguins. From his early education about the sex lives of krill in the Bay of Fundy to a krill tattoo gone awry, Nicol uses humor and personal stories to bring the biology and beauty of krill alive. In the final chapters, he examines the possibility of an increasingly ice-free Southern Ocean and what that means for the fate of krill-and us.
Ocean enthusiasts will come away with a newfound appreciation for the complex ecology of a species we have much to learn from, and many reasons to protect.
Krill—it’s a familiar word that conjures oceans, whales, and swimming crustaceans. Scientists say they are one of most abundant animals on the planet. But when pressed, few people can accurately describe krill or explain their ecological importance. Antarctic krill have used their extraordinary adaptive skills to survive and thrive for millions of years in a dark, icy world far from human interference. But with climate change melting ice caps at the top and bottom of the world, and increased human activity and pollution, their evolutionary flexibility to withstand these new pressures may not be enough.
Eminent krill scientist Stephen Nicol wants us to know more about this enigmatic creature of the sea. He argues that it’s critical to understand krill’s complex biology in order to protect them as the krill fishing industry expands. This account of Antarctic krill-one of the largest of eighty-five krill species-takes us to the Southern Ocean to learn firsthand the difficulties and rewards of studying krill in its habitat. Nicol lays to rest the notion that krill are simply microscopic, shrimplike whale food but are in fact midway up the food chain, consumers of phytoplankton and themselves consumed by whales, seals, and penguins. From his early education about the sex lives of krill in the Bay of Fundy to a krill tattoo gone awry, Nicol uses humor and personal stories to bring the biology and beauty of krill alive. In the final chapters, he examines the possibility of an increasingly ice-free Southern Ocean and what that means for the fate of krill-and us.
Ocean enthusiasts will come away with a newfound appreciation for the complex ecology of a species we have much to learn from, and many reasons to protect.
216 pages, Hardcover
Published May 8, 2018
11 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 2, 2022
I saw this book at my local library and wondered if krill really have a curious life. Turns out they do.
September 9, 2022
This was a marvellous book, both passionately and scientifically written.
The author is one of the worlds foremost Krill scientists having worked with many species of krill world wide. This book focuses mostly on Antarctic krill and Antarctica, since the author has been part of the Australian Antarctic Division and has worked extensively with the international commissions governing Antarctica, it's conservation and it's fisheries. I found it tremendously enjoyable.
Now, scientists writing for the public does not always work, because scientific writing is such a very different style to popular writing. The author however, took a writing course in Tasmania, so his writing is very nice indeed and entirely suitable for reading for pleasure. It is an immensely impressive life that the author has led, but he talks it down and mostly concentrated on the animal of the title, which I enjoyed and about Antarctica, which I always love reading about.
The descriptions on the krill, their lifestyle and habits in the early charters are lyrical and impress on the author the beauty of the animal. The later chapters where he describes the fisheries management, the scientific sampling and the governance of Antarctica. May seem dry to some readers but I enjoyed it.
I feel like the sense of humour of the author comes through a lot and I have to credit him on putting me on to the krill segments in the movie Happy Feet II, a movie I had never seen or wanted to see, but the krill segments in it are great.
The author is one of the worlds foremost Krill scientists having worked with many species of krill world wide. This book focuses mostly on Antarctic krill and Antarctica, since the author has been part of the Australian Antarctic Division and has worked extensively with the international commissions governing Antarctica, it's conservation and it's fisheries. I found it tremendously enjoyable.
Now, scientists writing for the public does not always work, because scientific writing is such a very different style to popular writing. The author however, took a writing course in Tasmania, so his writing is very nice indeed and entirely suitable for reading for pleasure. It is an immensely impressive life that the author has led, but he talks it down and mostly concentrated on the animal of the title, which I enjoyed and about Antarctica, which I always love reading about.
The descriptions on the krill, their lifestyle and habits in the early charters are lyrical and impress on the author the beauty of the animal. The later chapters where he describes the fisheries management, the scientific sampling and the governance of Antarctica. May seem dry to some readers but I enjoyed it.
I feel like the sense of humour of the author comes through a lot and I have to credit him on putting me on to the krill segments in the movie Happy Feet II, a movie I had never seen or wanted to see, but the krill segments in it are great.
July 24, 2020
The Curious Life of Krill is a delightful little book about this poorly known keystone species. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2018...
April 29, 2021
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is a free swimming crustacean of the Southern Ocean that, while unknown be most people, forms huge swarms and are an important food source for whales and often larger animals. They are much larger than most think, the adults being about 6 cm in length. A recent estimate has put their global mass at 400 million metric tons - greater than cattle or humans. Single swarms can reach 20 km in length and contain thirty trillion individuals (3 million metric tons). The baleen whales all feed on krill during the summer and migrate north in the winter. The krill supported 100,000 blue whales before they were almost killed off by the whaling industry.
Nicol provides an engaging account of travelling to Antarctica. The roaring forties and furious fifties make for rough travel with little sign of life. Once the edge of the ice shelves is reached, life becomes abundant as Antarctic animals depend upon the ocean for their existence. In the spring and early summer, microscopic plants "explode on a planetary scale" behind and within the receding pack ice. These blooms are grazed by the krill which in turn become the food source for the whales, crabeater seals (misnamed as they eat krill, not crabs), penguins and seabirds.
The author gives an excellent overview of the processes of ice formation in the Antarctic, the seasonal variation and the tidal forces that cause the ice to bend, crack and fracture. The underside of the pack ice is a good environment for algae to grow which attracts the krill that feed on them. At the Antarctic Convergence the cold Antarctic waters sink beneath the warmer sub-Antarctic waters, causing upwelling and mixing. The resulting increase in nutrients makes the area a hotspot for krill and other Antarctic animals. Krill migrate vertically, spending the day in the depths and coming towards the surface during the night.
Historically, krill were studied by collecting them in nets, a difficult approach as krill can swim fast enough to avoid nets. While the development of echosounders has provided a method to measure the krill on a larger scale, the use of the echos depends on their calibration and thus provide only estimates.
While krill are now be kept in institutional aquariums, elaborate filtration is needed to deal with the large amount of waste they produce
food? Being able to work with captive animals has shown that it takes two years for krill to mature, and they can live as long as 9 years.
When krill eject their fertilized eggs into the open ocean, they slowly sink, the larvae developing inside. When they reach a depth of two kilometres, the larvae break out of the eggs and start their swim to the surface. The larvae go through up to nine molts before becoming adults.
Krill form large aggregations. The author relates one instance of a 100 square kilometre swarm that was being fed on by 300 humpback whales. It was estimated that the whales consumed only 0.007 % of the krill. Krill aggregates deplete the oxygen in the water and drive up the ammonia concentration with their wastes, with the result that they must be continually on the move to cleaner waters.
The krill surplus question is whether the krill populations exploded when the baleen whales were almost destroyed. There is little convincing evidence that seals, seabirds, minke whales, fish or squid increased dramatically in numbers. Krill hold as much as 24 percent of the iron in the upper ocean and it has been proposed that the baleen whales had a role in recycling this iron, thus fertilizing the phytoplankton.
The krill industry has grown in spite of there being few krill products that are attractive for human consumption. Krill contain high concentrations of fluorine that must be removed to make them eatable. Krill products have been used as a food for aquaculture, but they have difficulty in competing on price. The author has been an active member of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) which tries to understand the dynamics of the krill population and the sustainable level of fishing.
Nicol provides an engaging account of travelling to Antarctica. The roaring forties and furious fifties make for rough travel with little sign of life. Once the edge of the ice shelves is reached, life becomes abundant as Antarctic animals depend upon the ocean for their existence. In the spring and early summer, microscopic plants "explode on a planetary scale" behind and within the receding pack ice. These blooms are grazed by the krill which in turn become the food source for the whales, crabeater seals (misnamed as they eat krill, not crabs), penguins and seabirds.
The author gives an excellent overview of the processes of ice formation in the Antarctic, the seasonal variation and the tidal forces that cause the ice to bend, crack and fracture. The underside of the pack ice is a good environment for algae to grow which attracts the krill that feed on them. At the Antarctic Convergence the cold Antarctic waters sink beneath the warmer sub-Antarctic waters, causing upwelling and mixing. The resulting increase in nutrients makes the area a hotspot for krill and other Antarctic animals. Krill migrate vertically, spending the day in the depths and coming towards the surface during the night.
Historically, krill were studied by collecting them in nets, a difficult approach as krill can swim fast enough to avoid nets. While the development of echosounders has provided a method to measure the krill on a larger scale, the use of the echos depends on their calibration and thus provide only estimates.
While krill are now be kept in institutional aquariums, elaborate filtration is needed to deal with the large amount of waste they produce
food? Being able to work with captive animals has shown that it takes two years for krill to mature, and they can live as long as 9 years.
When krill eject their fertilized eggs into the open ocean, they slowly sink, the larvae developing inside. When they reach a depth of two kilometres, the larvae break out of the eggs and start their swim to the surface. The larvae go through up to nine molts before becoming adults.
Krill form large aggregations. The author relates one instance of a 100 square kilometre swarm that was being fed on by 300 humpback whales. It was estimated that the whales consumed only 0.007 % of the krill. Krill aggregates deplete the oxygen in the water and drive up the ammonia concentration with their wastes, with the result that they must be continually on the move to cleaner waters.
The krill surplus question is whether the krill populations exploded when the baleen whales were almost destroyed. There is little convincing evidence that seals, seabirds, minke whales, fish or squid increased dramatically in numbers. Krill hold as much as 24 percent of the iron in the upper ocean and it has been proposed that the baleen whales had a role in recycling this iron, thus fertilizing the phytoplankton.
The krill industry has grown in spite of there being few krill products that are attractive for human consumption. Krill contain high concentrations of fluorine that must be removed to make them eatable. Krill products have been used as a food for aquaculture, but they have difficulty in competing on price. The author has been an active member of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) which tries to understand the dynamics of the krill population and the sustainable level of fishing.
July 4, 2024
As a biologist, specifically concentrating in aquatic animals, I found this book fascinating. I learned a lot about a species that I encountered almost daily in my line of work but never knew much about. I also can really appreciate a lot of the dry humor and exasperation with politics, conventions, and I think that it sounds very honest. Which, I can agree, for most lay people, probably is kind of boring. The author notes how boring a lot of it is, because...it's the truth. However, I would much rather get the truth about how things work than read a shortened, more jazzed up version. The progress in the field and within the various political machinations seems promising. I think the part that was toughest for me was the descriptions of how weather and patterns in ice work in Antarctica. It was fascinating, but I'm not good at visualizing things like that from just words on a page. I will probably have to revisit that topic with some further research using visual aids to help myself understand it better. Would definitely recommend to conservationists/scientists/nerds of marine biology. Lay people SHOULD read it, but might not enjoy it like I did.
August 28, 2018
This is a book about Krill fisheries, the methods used to study Krill and the organisations involved in the conservation of Krill. The book is rather short on the actual science of Krill life, other than the bits that are involved in finding out where the Krill congregate so they can be harvested. The chapter explaining the Southern Ocean was interesting and beautifully written. The chapter on Krill conservation efforts involves a whole lot of commissions, conventions, meetings and politicing which makes for dull reading. The writing is poetic, but tends to be repetitative in some instances. I got that Krill weren't microscopic bugs the first time the author mentioned it. He didn't need to repeat it at least 3 times each chapter. An interesting book, but extremely superficial where it covers the curious life of Krill, and rather more detailed about fishing, studying and conserving Krill.
NOTE: This book is specifically about the Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba), and does not deal with Krill found elsewhere.
NOTE: This book is specifically about the Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba), and does not deal with Krill found elsewhere.
March 23, 2022
As this book will tell you, krill are possibly the world's most abundant multicelled animal. It's no small task to count krill, but the estimates say there are about 500 million metric tons of them in the world. And it's a good thing there are so many of them, because they are essential to the ocean's ecosystem. This book is specifically about Antarctic krill, which is the keystone species for most of the beloved animals that live around Antarctica - many fish and sea birds, seals, penguins, and whales. In addition to being important, they are also strange, fascinating animals (They swim around for their first 3 weeks after hatching with no mouth?!). Stephen Nicol does a great job bringing the world of krill to readers in a way that is easy to understand and fun to read. As a side note, for those interested in sharing the world of krill with even younger readers, a good companion to this book is the picture book "Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill" by Matt Lilley, which Nicol reviewed for accuracy.
October 30, 2018
Some interesting bits. However, the author did not delivery on his promise to make me excited about Krill. His writing was a little too dry and many of the details irrelevant to a lay person.
Still worth a skim. These creatures are fascinating. For example they can go hundreds of days without food. They slowly shrink by shedding shells and feeding off their “fat”. Also the 2nd to last chapter on the convention they established to regulate krill is interesting in the potential applications for climate change policies. Under the charter the responsibility is on the fisheries to prove their activities won’t drastically impact the ecosystem. Historically it’s been the other way around. So, that’s pretty dope.
Still worth a skim. These creatures are fascinating. For example they can go hundreds of days without food. They slowly shrink by shedding shells and feeding off their “fat”. Also the 2nd to last chapter on the convention they established to regulate krill is interesting in the potential applications for climate change policies. Under the charter the responsibility is on the fisheries to prove their activities won’t drastically impact the ecosystem. Historically it’s been the other way around. So, that’s pretty dope.
December 30, 2024
Eminent krill scientist Stephen Nicol shares his experience in observing krill and shares many interesting facts about their behaviour and habitat. Additionally he summarises the effects of climate change on them, their importance in the oceanic ecosystem, a brief history of their consumption and hunting for the food industry and finally explores legal frameworks for conservation efforts. I enjoyed this insight into krill, but the chapter on conservation laws was a bit too long and dry particularly in contrast with the great facts in previous chapters.
July 3, 2018
Fascinating. Entertaining. Informative.
This is a book everyone concerned about the environment, global warming and conservation must read. At first blush no one would imagine that krill, specifically Euphausia superba or Antarctic kill, would make a suitable subject for the general reading public. Stephen Nicol has written a lyrical paean to a humble creature that is among the world's greatest in terms of biomass. Glad I read it.
This is a book everyone concerned about the environment, global warming and conservation must read. At first blush no one would imagine that krill, specifically Euphausia superba or Antarctic kill, would make a suitable subject for the general reading public. Stephen Nicol has written a lyrical paean to a humble creature that is among the world's greatest in terms of biomass. Glad I read it.
January 3, 2020
This book is somewhat interesting, but it does get a little tedious in some places. The book gives an overview of the study of krill with its challenges. While it wasn't always an enjoyable read, I did learn some things, not only about krill, but also about the conservation efforts in and around Antarctica.
March 19, 2025
How interesting can a book about krill be, you may well ask. The answer, kind of surprisingly, is actually pretty interesting. The author takes us through the life cycle and vast numbers of the tiny krill, through various scientific studies, emphasizing their crucial role in the southern ocean food chain. OK, maybe it doesn't sound all that interesting, but it was. I enjoyed it.
January 8, 2019
This book was an excellent reminder that there is so much life in the ocean that is still “unknown and unseen and whose song remains unsung.” But I see you now, krill, and I appreciate the critical role you play in our marine ecosystems.
August 4, 2018
An interesting look at krill, but really, more a careful investigation of their haunts, the fisheries their whole ecology
July 30, 2019
Fantastic!
May 1, 2020
It was really interesting up to the end of chapter 6. There are two more chapters after that.
December 15, 2020
A fascinating look at one of the foundational species of the Antarctic ecosystem, and the only book about them I could find. 🦐
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews