A Norwegian Antarctic krill (Superba Euphasia) fishery has entered the assessment for the Marine Stewardship Council’s credible standard for sustainable fishing. If the assessment is successful, the krill products from the fishery could carry the blue MSC ecolabel.

Krill—a small species with a big use
Krill is a small crustacean consumed by whales, seals, penguins and fish. It is rich in omega 3 oils and the Olympic Seafood Antarctic krill is used in products both for human and animal consumption such as krill meal, powder, oils and protein concentrate.

"We are very happy to enter MSC assessment,” says Even T. Remøy, director of sales and marketing at Olympic Seafood and Rimfrost Group. “There is a growing demand for sustainably sourced marine products, and if we succeed with this certification process, we will be able to provide a new certified sustainable option for the industries. We will also be able to provide MSC certified phospholipid omega-3 krill oil supplements for human consumption"

The road to sustainability
The fishery under assessment is one of Olympic Seafood’s vessels, operating in the waters of Antarctic of the Southern Ocean. The usual fishing season is from February to August and the management of the fishery is regulated by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), established in 1982 to protect the marine life around Antarctica.

Until now, there has only been one krill fishery engaged in the program and MSC welcomes this second fishery’s decision to go for certification: "It is excellent news that the Olympic Seafood Antarctic krill fishery has entered assessment against the MSC Standard. MSC certified fisheries have a well-established history of bringing about improvements in sustainable fishing and, by opening this fishery to the public scrutiny of an MSC assessment, we can expect benefits to the South Ocean fisheries and ecosystem," says Camiel Derichs, MSC’s European director.

Get involved in the assessment
The assessment is being carried out by the certification body Det Norske Veritas and the initial full assessment is expected to be finalised in May 2015. Assessments against the MSC standard are open for comments and anyone with an interest in the fishery is invited to participate by contacting Guro Meldre Pedersen at Det Norske Veritas: [email protected].