First Winner: AP team provides up-close look at controversial, remote fishery

By David Keyton, Joshua Goodman and Marshall Ritzel

The story centered on krill, a shrimp-like crustacean at the foundation of Antarctica’s ecosystem that’s food for a rebounding whale population and a critical carbon sink that benefits the entire planet. It’s also a valuable commodity, used as feed for farm-raised fish and in omega-3 dietary supplements.

The coverage from the waters off Antarctica, supplemented by reporting on the ground from five countries, chronicled the removal of tons of krill from the ocean and tracked it to farms, supermarkets and drugstores around the world. It told a nuanced story about a controversial fishing practice that’s vehemently opposed by some scientists and activists but defended by the industry as responsible and sustainable.

In addition to his video and photos from the trawler, Keyton captured footage of krill being offloaded from a cargo ship in Uruguay and later traveled to Norway to interview the CEO of the company responsible for driving much of the consumer demand for krill.

Marshall Ritzel, working with climate news editor Alyssa Goodman, produced a stunning presentation that captured the breadth and beauty of the reporting. Ritzel also edited a seven-minute video that was voiced by Keyton.

For an exclusive look at what the harvesting of small creatures in remote Antarctic seas could mean for global food chains, Keyton, Goodman and Ritzel share Best of the Week — First Winner.

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