Krill is Sustainable

Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world’s oceans, Krill is also sustainable unlike other sources of fish we use for nutritional supplements or for general consumption.

In the Southern Ocean, one species, the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, makes up an estimated biomass of around 379,000,000 tons, more than that of the global population of humans.

Of this, over half is eaten by whales, seals, penguins, squid and fish each year, and is replaced through reproduction and subsequent growth of the krill population. Krill can live up to 8 years in aquariums but in the wild they probably live for 3 to 4 years, spawning when they are 2 to 3 years old.

Krill is one of the best sources of Omega fatty acids containg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). There are several differences between krill oil and fish oil, mainly in the omega-3 fatty acids carrier. Unlike fish oil, in which the omega-3 fatty acids are attached only to triglycerides, in krill oil the majority are attached to phospholipids while the rest are attached to triglycerides.

Strict Regulations Exist To Prevent Overfishing

The vast majority of krill comes from the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, which is controlled by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The 25-member country convention requires every fishing boat to be licensed, and sets strict limits on how they fish (e.g. using nets that won’t snare larger fish and mammals) and how much they catch.

The United Nations Food & Agricultural Organizations deems that krill is the most regulated fishery in the world, says oceanographer Luc Rainville, director of scientific and regulatory affairs for Neptune Technologies.

There Is More Than Enough Krill To Go Around

Between 420 million and 700 million metric tons of krill inhabit Antarctic waters, making it one of the largest collections of zooplankton in the world. Each spring, during spawning season, it re-populates what was fished out or eaten by whales, penguins, seals and birds.

The CCAMLR only allows licensed krill operators in the Antarctic to collectively catch a limit of 620,000 tons of krill (around 1 percent of the total biomass) annually.

This limit has never been reached, with annual catches remaining around 200,000 tons annually for the last several years, which represents only .6 percent of the total krill biomass Plus, only about seven to eight operators currently fish krill in Antarctica each year, and financial barriers to entry are likely to prevent that number from growing.

Krill Harvesting Does Not Put Any Populations At Risk

Baleen whales rely on krill. However, krill fishery does not create a shortage for the whales, or close to it. The total annual catch of krill globally per year would equal about 3 percent of what the Baleen whales consumed in the same time period.

The same is true for krill and penguins. While a recent study looked at the decreasing penguin population, this urgent matter cannot be linked to krill fishing. The researchers did not find any correlation to krill fishery or a declining food supply.

Rather, they concluded that the penguins have become more sensitive to environmental changes and found a strong correlation between the change in climatic environmental conditions and the decline of the penguin population.

Look For Certifications Such as FOS On The Label

Krill fishery is relatively new and it will take time before all vessels are certified. Some krill trawler vessels are currently undergoing sustainability certifications such as Friends of the Sea (FOS).

With that said, all krill fishery vessels are subject to CCAMLR scientific committee rules and international regulations. FOS Antarctic krill fishery certification is proof that a vessel is complying with strict krill sustainability criteria, which ensure krill stock is not overfished, capture does not have by-catch of endangered species and that the krill fishery does not have an adverse impact on the ecosystem or seabed.

We have updated information that supports krill’s sustainability.
Krill sustainability efforts are available and backed up by CCAMLR Scientific Committee which is monitoring the Antarctic krill actual populations and promulgating precautionary catch.