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Krill are the humpback whales main source of food
In the Southern Ocean the habitat the Antarctic krill live in is being severely affected by
climate change
There’s sea ice decline, a rise in ocean temperature and ocean acidification
These all affect the krill’s nurseys and feeding grounds.
The decreasing amount of sea ice and its season affects the krill the most with the sea ice
season decreasing by 85 days between 1979 and 2004.
The larval krill rely on sea ice biota (mostly algae) as a food source throughout the winter
and the timing of when the sea ice forms determine the availability of food
As krill are the humpbacks mains source of food, these two species have a spatial
relationship.
Research shows that krill populations are predicted to decline 30% this century
In turn, the declining availability of krill (and other food sources) for humpbacks affects the
reproductive success of the species
39% of identified pregnancies in the gulf of st. Lawrence (Canada) were unsuccessful in the
last 15 years
Female whales are unable to accumulate the required energy stores that are needed to
maintain pregnancy and meet the demands of calving than in previous years
The migratory timing of humpback whales to the poles has shifted by 4 weeks on average
between the 1980’s to the late 2010’s
This is due to the increasing sea surface temperatures breaking up the ice earlier in the
season