France, Oct. 24 -- Krill is the cornerstone of the entire Antarctic ecosystem - a heavy responsibility for such a small animal.

How much of it humans should be allowed to take is now being debated in Hobart, Tasmania, which is playing host to two weeks of talks held by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which manages fishing and works to protect marine life in these remote, icy waters.

Krill is a type of zooplankton - tiny animals that drift with ocean currents - and provides food for creatures at both ends of the food chain. While it lives in every ocean, it is most plentiful in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

"It's at the base of the entire ocean food chain, feeding the smallest f...