Krill are small crustaceans, like shrimp. The Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, live in large schools in the cold, pristine waters of Antarctica. The Southern Ocean is home to thousands of different marine life species, all dependent on each other in a vulnerable ecosystem.

1. K
rill are small crustaceans, like shrimp. The Antarctic krill,
Euphausia superba, live in large schools in the cold, pristine
waters of Antarctica. The Southern Ocean is home to
thousands of different marine life species, all dependent
on each other in a vulnerable ecosystem.
The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica, which is the coldest,
driest and windiest continent on earth.
We find the Antarctic krill in the middle of the food chain between
the microscopic plants and animals and the larger animals. Krill are food
for humpback wales, fish and penguins. Krill are feed for fish. Krill for
aquafeed is a growth accelerator and efficiency driver.
Did you know that?
• Antarctica is the highest continent in the world? The average
elevation is 2,300 meters because of the thickness of its ice sheet.
• Antarctica is one-and-a-half times the size of the United States?
• Antarctica has the world’s largest desert?
Antarctic krill is a bountiful, but not unlimited, resource. When
exploratory krill fishing began in the 1960s, the catch levels were low.
In the 1980s commercial fisheries caught more than half a million tons
of krill. This raised serious concerns that the fisheries were depleting
local krill stock, causing an irreversible damage to the ecosystem and
threatening predators such as fish, whales and penguins.
"Krill is the lifeblood of the Southern Ocean and supports impor-
tant Antarctic wildlife such as whales, seals and penguins. It is crucial
that krill fishing is done in a responsible and sustainable way,” said Bob
Zuur, Manager of WWF’s Antarctic program in a press release.
International Convention regulates
and caps the catch
The Convention of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living
Resources (CCAMLR) protects the ecosystem. This international
treaty oversees krill fishing, with 25 members including six countries
that fish for krill. In advance of each season, CCAMLR requires vessels
to notify their fishing area and potential catch. There are hundreds of
million tons of Antarctic krill in the Southern Ocean. The majority of
the krill industry operates in Area 48. In Area 48, the industry is allowed
to harvest one percent of the estimated 60 million tons of krill. Today,
the catch level is about one half of the allowable level.
Responsible business goes beyond
sustainable fishing
“Sustainable krill fishing is our licence to operate,” says Sigve
Nordrum, Sustainability Director in Aker BioMarine, the biggest krill
Antarctic
Krill Lifeblood of the
Southern Ocean
"Antarctic krill is a
bountiful, but not
unlimited, resource"
24 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | May-June 2015
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Photocourtesyof©KjellRuneVenaas

2. company. But responsible business goes beyond the licence to operate
in Antarctica. Responsible krill fishing means developing technology that
solves today’s problems and asking right questions gather the latest
data and close the knowledge gaps about the region.
Third parties certify the fisheries
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an international non-profit
organisation with an independent certifying body and a public assess-
ment process, has developed sustainable fishing and seafood trace-
ability standards. In 2012 Accenture ranked it as the leading eco-label
for seafood products. In 2015 MSC re-certified Aker BioMarine as
sustainable and 100 percent traceable, allowing the fishery to carry the
distinct blue eco-label on its products.
Technology reduces by-catch
In addition to its third party certification, new technology is continu-
ously developed, limiting the impact of krill fishing on the ecosystem
in the Antarctic. Aker BioMarine’s vessels, Antarctic Sea and Saga
Sea, use Pelagic trawls with its Eco-Harvesting system. The system’s
hose (between the trawl and the vessel) allows the fishing net to stay
underwater during the entire operation. This reduces the interactions
between the net and the krill surface predators (especially birds and
seals) as the net is not hauled and shot. The mesh opening of the net
excludes unwanted by-catch.
Scientific data gathering
It is only possible to change what is known. Scientific data gathering
and research are focus areas for the fisheries active in Antarctic. With
the harsh conditions, the scientific vessels are only present in Antarctic
for a short period of time every year. As the krill fishing vessels operate
on the fishing grounds for most of the year and are well positioned to
the collect the data, the Association of Responsible Krill (ARK) Fishing
Companies, has encouraged krill fishing vessels to host scientists and
collect scientific data. This provides updated information on the krill
stocks and expands the industry’s knowledge on stock dynamics.
Krill populations vary in size from year to year. And in extreme
circumstances, krill shortages have affected the breeding of seals and
penguins. In other areas of the Antarctic, it has been difficult to link
the krill population fluctuation with the health of the seal and penguin
population. The current assessment process does not include seasonal
May-June 2015 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 25
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Photocourtesyof©KjellRuneVenaas
Photocourtesyof©KjellRuneVenaas

3. changes in stock size, natural fluctuations
in krill abundance and the effect of climate
change (for example, warmer and more
acidic oceans) on krill. The main challenge
is to get a synoptic survey of the Antarctic
krill. These data points need to be collected
to better understand the ecosystem and
protect it.
But there is still so much that is unknown
about the Antarctic’s ecosystem. And there
is still so much data missing. The knowledge
gap is still big.
Cooperation and research needed
to go above and beyond
“Responsibility is a shared commitment for our shared future.
Operating sustainably within a complex ecosystem like the Antarctic
is not a solo effort. It requires a team from multiple disciplines. This
requires collaboration beyond the fisheries’ networks, close partner-
ships between the fisheries and environmental non-governmental
organisations and contact with leading scientists on Antarctic conserva-
tion and research,” says Aker BioMarine’s Sigve Nordrum.
Establishing The Antarctic Wildlife Research Fund
In January 2015, scientists, businesses and environmental organisa-
tions joined forces to address a shared concern: Too little is known
about the Antarctic Wildlife and ecosystem. Representatives from
the non-governmental organisations Antarctic and Southern Ocean
Coalition (ASOC) WWF-Norway and Aker BioMarine established
an independent research foundation: the Antarctic Wildlife Research
Fund (AWR)
The research fund will finance much needed ecosystem research
and monitoring activities to increase the data and knowledge around
the Antarctic ecosystem.
"I am particularly pleased to see the launch of this research fund
as I believe it shows a real commitment from the fishing industry to
engage in sustainable practices that are built upon the solid foundation
of scientific evidence. Not only will this fund help build a sound basis for
management, but it will hopefully also help foster closer collaboration
between scientists from many different nations,” said Dr Phil Trathan,
Chair of the AWR Science Advisory Group in a press release.
On March 16, 2015 2015 AWR issued its first call for proposals,
inviting applications from scientific researchers who can aid in deter-
mining the impact of the krill fishing industry on the Antarctic marine
ecosystem. The research will serve to ensure ecosystem protection,
while improving the management basis for the fishery. The call for
proposals will close June 16, 2015.
"The establishment of the Antarctic Wildlife Research Fund is an
opportunity to continue monitoring the impacts of krill fishing and to
conduct further ecological research on this important species,” said
Bob Zuur, Manager of WWF’s Antarctic program in the press release
announcing the establishment of the Antarctic Wildlife Research Fund.
The science advisory group will identify and prioritise the research
to be conducted. In turn, AWR will grant research funding and publish
the research. The independent scientific experts and their data will fill
the critical gaps in research and monitoring.
This data is not only meant for the fisheries, but also to raise aware-
26 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | May-June 2015
FEATUREPhotocourtesyof©KjellRuneVenaas
Photocourtesyof©KjellRuneVenaas
Photocourtesyof©KjellRuneVenaas

4. ness through the general public. AWR will have several campaigns to
increase the general knowledge on krill as a key part of the Antarctic
ecosystem and the importance of sustainable krill fishery. Therefore a
separate website and social media channels have been established to
ensure that the message reaches the general public.
"The creation of the Antarctic Wildlife Research Fund is crucial to
expanding our knowledge of krill in the Southern Ocean. Through
the work of the AWR, we hope to ensure that adequate protections
and management are put in place, and a healthy ecosystem is kept in
place not just for krill, but for all of the Antarctic species which depend
on it," said Mark Epstein, AWR Chair and Executive Director of The
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition in a press release.
“Such collaborations, including with NGOs and industry, are critical
if we are to tackle some of the real challenges that face us in manag-
ing marine ecosystems as they cope with the combined pressures of
climate change and increasing human demands. This fund should be
an exemplar for other industries elsewhere in the world," concluded
Dr Phil Trathan, Chair of the AWR Science Advisory Group in the
release to the media.
The Science advisory group consists of:
• Dr Phil Trathan, Chair, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
• Dr Polly Penhale, National Science Foundations, US
• Dr Javier Arata, Instituto Antárctico, Chile, CCAMLR
• Dr Gennadi Milinevsky, National University of Kiev, Ukraine
• Dr Taro Ichii, National Research Institute. of Far Sea Fisheries,
Japan
• Dr Andrew Lowther, Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway
• Dr Slava Bizikov, Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries,
Russia
• Dr So Kawaguchi, Australian Antarctic Division, Tasmania,
Australia
• Scientific Advisor to the AWR is Dr. Rodolfo Werner, who is a
Senior Advisor to The Pew Charitable Trusts and ASOC – The
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition
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