While the influence of spatial scale in ecology is well established, few studies have evaluated the impact of spatial scale on hotspot analysis of biological resources. Using data obtained from the KRILLBASE-ABUNDANCE database, this study aimed to investigate the effects of spatial scale on hotspot analysis of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) density distribution in the Antarctic Peninsula. Krill density data from 1929 to 2018 were interpolated at 10-year intervals into 10 spatial scales as follows: 10' × 10', 20' × 20', 30' × 30', 40' × 40', 50' × 50', 1° × 1°, 2° × 2°, 3° × 3°, 4° × 4° and 5° × 5°. Linear, logarithmic, exponential, power-law and parabolic functions were used to determine the relationship between spatial scale and krill density distribution in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Additionally, variations in centroid and area of hotspots at various spatial scales were analysed. The results revealed a strong scaling relationship between spatial scale, number of patches and indices of krill density. The hotspot area increased with an increase in the coarseness of the spatial scale and the calculated location of the centroid showed that the hotspot locations were markedly affected by the spatial scale of analysis, with coarser spatial scales resulting in larger spatial shifts in centroid location. Thus, based on the KRILLBASE-ABUNDANCE database, it is not recommended to use a spatial scale greater than 1° × 1° to identify the local spatial pattern for hotspot analysis of krill density. The effects of spatial scale on other types of krill density data (e.g. catch data, acoustic data from research surveys or acoustic data from fishing vessels) remain to be investigated.