Our Living World
Small does not mean insignificant.
A short reflection on Antarctic krill and the relationships within the Southern Ocean.
Editorial note: The film identifies commercial krill harvesting and asks viewers to consider ecosystem relationships. It makes no allegation about pollution.
Read the full transcript
You notice the whale first.
It is difficult not to notice a giant.
But look closer.
These are Antarctic krill.
Lives measured in centimetres... yet central to the Southern Ocean food web.
Whales. Penguins. Seals. Fish.
Krill turn microscopic plant life into food for much larger animals.
Their importance reaches deeper still.
Carbon-rich material produced by krill can sink into deeper ocean waters.
Krill are also commercially harvested.
The fishery is managed — but the ecosystem connection still matters.
Perhaps the question is not whether something is large enough to matter.
Perhaps we should ask... what would notice if it were gone?
The ocean does not measure importance by size.
Small does not mean insignificant.
Original GoDazza film. Captions are included within the picture. The accompanying transcript is provided for accessibility and future translation.