World Krill Day: Why Protecting Antarctic Krill Matters
“Sapphire the Antarctic Krill,” painted by Wildlife Jewels Founder Azi Sharif for the Jewels of Antarctica collection. © Wildlife Jewels®
World Krill Day
The smallest Jewels of Antarctica can sustain an entire world. 🌊💙
Antarctic krill are tiny, but they form the foundation of one of Earth’s most extraordinary food webs—helping sustain penguins, whales, seals, seabirds, fish, and countless other lives throughout the Southern Ocean.
Yet krill are increasingly harvested by industrial fisheries for products including krill oil and omega-3 supplements, aquaculture feed, and pet food. When fishing is concentrated in important feeding grounds, it can increase pressure on krill-dependent wildlife in the places they rely on most.
In 2025, the Antarctic krill fishery reached the 620,000-tonne trigger level for the first time, causing the fishery to close early and underscoring the urgency of strong, science-based protections for krill and the wildlife that depend on them.
🎨 Sapphire the Antarctic Krill, from our Jewels of Antarctica collection, was created to celebrate these tiny but vital animals and the extraordinary role they play in the Southern Ocean.
On World Krill Day, we are reminded that no species is too small to matter.
You can help by checking product labels and choosing alternatives to krill-derived supplements and other krill-based products—helping keep this vital food source in the ocean for wildlife.
Protect krill. Protect the extraordinary web of life they sustain. 💙
Learn More About Protecting Antarctic Krill
Learn more about Antarctic krill, the threats they face, and efforts to protect the Southern Ocean through Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)
Meet Wildlife Jewels “Padparadscha Sapphire the Antarctic Krill” on World Krill Day!
Today, we are delighted to celebrate this special World Krill Daythrough the arts, inspired by the beautiful, fascinating, and science-fiction-like Antarctic Krill. Please join us as we explore and honor these incredible creatures!
Meet Padparadscha Sapphire the Antarctic Krill, our new Wildlife Jewels® painting inspired by the magical Antarctic krill. With a fluorescent body, swarming capabilities, and gorgeous orange spots, krill are truly amazing. Their fascinating colors and behaviors inspire innovative technologies.
Krill capture carbon: Krill swarms feed on carbon-capturing algae near the surface and then dive, depositing carbon-filled waste in the deep ocean. These swarms, numbering in the trillions, store as much carbon as the yearly emissions of 35 million cars.
Wildlife inhabitants of Antarctica depend on krill's survival, yet these incredible creatures face devastating human induced threats and urgently need our protection.
Wildlife Jewels is delighted to be raising awareness for the magnificent wildlife inhabitants of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean as part of this collection.
“Padparadscha Sapphire the Antarctic Krill” is our new Wildlife Jewels painting representing Antarctica’s krill inhabitants.
Stay tuned for her conservation collection of fashion and arts, educational programs, and activities you can get involved in to learn about the Krill and to LEARN FROM KRILL™. Coming soon!
In this video, Wildlife Jewels' Executive Director shares a sneak preview of our World Krill Day painting and our soon-to-be-launched education initiatives shedding light on the importance of preserving the Antarctic Krill.