Is Krill Oil Sustainable?

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Clearing up the muddy waters 

By James Townsend

Finding factual science-based information about krill oil on the Internet can be a challenge. Most of what the seeker finds is opinion based on some marketer’s desire to sell either his krill-oil product or his competitor’s desire to sell a competing omega-3 product.

A case in point: Recently Whole Foods Market, a major retailer of natural and organic products, declared that it was removing krill-oil products from its shelves. The statement reads, “Declines of some predator populations in the areas where the krill fishery operates suggest that fishery management needs to better understand how to evaluate the prey requirements of other marine species in order to set sustainable catch levels for krill.”

Whole Foods has yet to respond to queries about the scientific basis of its judgment on the issue. It is fair to speculate that whoever made the decision did so out of sincere motives and legitimate concerns for the Antarctic marine ecosystem. But it appears that the decision was made without having a full understanding of the current state of knowledge in this field and the rigorous means by which this ecosystem is being managed. That krill is the favorite food of such appealing species as whales and penguins makes it easy to malign those who are harvesting krill for human consumption.

What is the truth about krill in the Antarctic?

However, the truth is out there if one digs deeply enough … or asks the right person.

The right person, in this case, turns out to be Dr. Simeon Hill, a senior scientific officer of at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) at Cambridge, England. BAS is one of the world's leading environmental research centers and is responsible for the UK's national scientific activities in Antarctica.

BAS is an active participant in the international treaty organization called the Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) that formed back in 1982 specifically to manage Antarctic fisheries, protect the predators that depend on fished species, and protect the Antarctic krill fishery.

"It seems likely that Whole Foods' decision is based on an appeal to emotions. However, they don't seem to be applying the same strict criteria on sustainability across their whole range of products," Dr. Hill said in an interview in May 2010 with WellWise.org.

“I would argue that sustainability is a far greater issue in many other fisheries than in the krill fishery,” he said.

Determining numbers of creatures in any particular fishery is, to say the least, an inexact science. To illustrate his point, Dr. Hill quotes the famous oceanographer and fisheries management guru Professor John Shepherd: “Counting fish is like counting trees, except they are invisible and they keep moving.”

That being said, however, CCAMLR uses a “precautionary approach” to minimize the risks to krill and its predators. Firstly, CCAMLR scientists have determined that the total sustainable catch for krill is 3.47 million metric tons per year. Secondly, even further safeguards have been put into place, mandating that when the catch reaches a “trigger level” of just 620,000 metric tons the fishery must close for the season.

The science behind managing the krill fishery

CCAMLR scientists determined this “trigger level” from historical records, which show no evidence of the krill fishery harming predators. Thirdly, there are restrictions on where the fishery can operate and how much of the “trigger level” it can catch in each area. Finally, current annual catches are around 200,000 metric tons, a third of the “trigger level” or 6 percent of the sustainable catch..

“The potential effect on predatory species is precisely why we’re taking such precautions in the fishery,” Dr. Hill says.

There are just nine ships currently licensed to fish for krill in the Antarctic, and as of last year half of them are required to have scientific observers on board to ensure that the catch limits are not being surpassed.

Dr. Hill speculates that the reason a company such as Whole Foods may be paying attention at all is because of the public nature of the scientific debate over Antarctic fisheries. Science arrives at conclusions through open debate about its findings, and the debate over the Antarctic fisheries has been more publicized than most.

“Potentially, the openness about these issues is being misinterpreted, emphasizing the dangers,” Dr. Hill says. “But good management recognizes and minimizes these dangers. CCAMLR takes a very precautionary approach. The bottom line is that the fishery is only allowed to take a fifth of the sustainable catch and there are also spatial restrictions designed to protect predators.”

The truth is that “the krill fishery is managed much better that many other fisheries in the world,” Dr. Hill says.

You can read more of James Townsend's blogs here.

You can read more of James Townsend's blogs on the krill issue here.

You can read more about the sustainability of krill here.

James Townsend is editor in chief of WellWise.org, a nonprofit organization for the dissemination of science-based information about supplements, nutrients and strategies for health.