The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at an agreement signed between Tara and polarjournal.net, enhanced marine protection around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and a study explaining why the red knots are becoming smaller.
The Polar Retrospective is a collaborative effort by the editorial team of polarjournal.net. Each writer chooses a topic they found interesting and important in the past week. The initials at the end of each section indicate the author. We hope you enjoy it.
Fondation Tara Océan and Polar Journal AG sign Memorandum of Understanding
Fondation Tara Océan, a foundation dedicated to ocean science, and the polar information platform Polar Journal AG have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a long-term partnership. The signing took place on April 25th, 2025, amidst the festivities surrounding the christening of the new Tara Polar Station in Lorient.
The core aim of this collaboration is to enhance public understanding of polar issues and support related research. Both organizations recognize the significance of the Arctic and Antarctic regions in the context of global climate change and share a commitment to promoting scientific understanding of these vital ecosystems.
Under the MoU, the collaboration will focus on several key areas: communication and outreach, joint projects, and resource sharing. Polar Journal will utilize its media platform to disseminate information about Tara’s polar programs, including scientific findings and expedition updates. In turn, Fondation Tara Océan will provide Polar Journal with access to relevant information and experts.
A specific focus of the partnership will be the Tara Polar Station. This planned drifting research station aims to collect crucial data on the Arctic ecosystem over several years. The collaboration intends to promote the station as a platform for international polar research and related educational outreach.
The signed document serves as a framework for future cooperation and formal agreements between the two parties. It signals an intent to work together on communicating the importance and challenges of the polar regions. M.W.
Stronger Protection Measures in the Marine Protected Area around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Map: Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, edited by Julia Hager
In the marine protected area (MPA) around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, established in 2012, enhanced protection measures came into force on April 22, 2025, following their announcement in early 2024. Among other changes, the zone in which all forms of fishing are prohibited has been significantly expanded from 283,000 square kilometres to more than 470,000 square kilometres. These new no-take zones now cover 38% of the protected area.
Krill fishing, carried out primarily by vessels from Norway, South Korea, China, and Chile, has also been further restricted: an additional 31,000 square kilometres of pelagic waters have been closed to fishing. In total, krill fishing is now banned across more than half a million square kilometres within the MPA. During the five-month, strictly regulated fishing season, krill fishers thus have access to only about 60% of the protected area.
Furthermore, longline fishing is prohibited in 95% of the MPA (blue areas on the map). Even research fishing is no longer permitted in certain regions (red areas on the map).
These new measures complement the existing protection framework: seasonal closures that restrict toothfish and krill fishing to the winter months help reduce potential interactions with breeding seals and seabirds. In addition, bottom trawl fishing is banned throughout the entire 1.24 million square kilometre protected area.
The greatly expanded network of no-take zones interconnects and protects not only the most biodiverse and potentially vulnerable marine habitats but also includes areas identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs). J.H.
Red knot, a shrinking finally explained
Scientists at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) have discovered why red knots are getting smaller. Their findings, published on 16 April in Global Change Biology, show that the diet of the chicks, which is affected by the effects of global warming, is to blame.
Working with Russian researchers, the Dutch scientists compared data collected in 2018 and 2019 in the Siberian tundra and in Mauritania on the Banc d’Arguin with data from the 1990s. They found that chicks from recent years grew more slowly than those from previous generations, due to the time lag between snowmelt and the emergence of insects.
Red Knot chicks feed mainly on crane fly, a mosquito-like flying insect. These insects emerge from the ground after the snow has melted. But global warming is causing the snow to melt earlier than it used to, so the insects emerge earlier. The chicks are then unable to feed properly, which slows their growth. Delayed development can notably be seen in the composition of their feathers.
This is a real problem for these migratory birds, which winter each year in the warm countries of Africa, South America, Oceania and Asia, before returning to the boreal polar regions to nest, covering distances of between 2 500 and 16 000 km. During the summer months, red knots can be found throughout the Arctic, from Siberia to Canada, along with Greenland, Svalbard and Alaska.
The observation of smaller red knots year after year has intrigued scientists, who have wondered why these animals are shrinking. Their questions have now been answered, highlighting once again the effects of global warming in the Arctic. M.B.