Aker BioMarine has formally entered a comment period for the renewal of its Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. If successful, this will recertify the sustainability and 100% traceability of Superba (TM) and Qrill (TM), the company's flagship krill ingredients. The report is now open for public comment until Sept. 13, 2014.

Aker BioMarine's fishery went through MSC certification in 2009 and has since undergone annual audits. The recertification process takes approximately 18 months and once completed will apply to the fishery for five years.

Comprehensive interviews were carried out as part of the assessment process, complemented by a full and thorough review of relevant literature and data sources. Key stakeholders in the fishery—including skippers, scientists, fishery protection officers, non-government organizations, fishery managers and technical support staff—were crucial to the development of this report. Some of the specific stakeholders included WWF-Norway, Greenpeace and the British Antarctic Survey.

"I think this recertification strengthens our commitment to sustainability and the high standards set by MSC," said Sigve Nordrum, sustainability director of Aker BioMarine. "We invite all stakeholders to review the report and offer feedback as necessary."

Should stakeholders wish to submit comments, they can complete the relevant documents found here and return them by Sept. 13, 2014. Any claim(s) or claimed error(s) of fact regarding the public comment draft report for this fishery assessment must be accompanied by objective evidence in support of the aforementioned claim(s). Comments should be sent to [email protected].

"During the first MSC certification process we got lower scores and needed to improve in certain areas. This time around the draft assessment report found no conditions that needed to be improved and our scores went up in almost every area. We are pleased with the results of the re-certification process and think the report puts the krill fishery in a very positive light," Nordrum concluded.

When the comment period closes on Sept. 13, the independent Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) will review and address any stakeholder comments submitted. Then, the CAB will issue a final report that includes a determination as to whether the fishery should be recertified to the MSC standard. The release of the Final Certification Report (FCR) will start the objection period.