Antarctic Krill Sustainability

The 25-state members Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is the only official and reliable international organism involved in the krill fishery management. CCAMLR is a unique organisation because it involves the governments of many nations, as well as concerned stewardship organisations, like Antartic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), which Greenpeace is a member of. CCAMLR establishes detailed precautionary measures to assure and confirm the ecological sustainability of harvesting the Antarctic krill species (Euphausia superba). No shortage of Antarctic krill has ever been forecasted by CCAMLR. In fact, the CCAMLR has maintained the same precautionary catch limits since 2007.

• For 2009/10 eleven vessels are licensed to fish krill in the Antarctic and that they all abide by CCAMLR guidelines. Neptune only uses CCAMLR licensed vessels.
• The latest total catch limit of 2008/09 corresponds to 1.56 % of the total biomass figure of 420 M t. The mean annual world catch of over the last five previous years corresponds to only 1.9 % of the new precautionary catch limit. This is only 0.03 % of the total biomass.
• The 2008/09 total annual catch equals about 0.15 % of the baleen whales krill consumption.
• It is worth noting that less than 1% total catches is processed as food supplement, nutraceuticals, functional foods and bio-pharmaceuticals for human health benefits.