According to a scientific paper published in Fisheries Management and Ecology, researchers noted the Antarctic krill fishery had a much lower rate of bycatch, with a ratio of 0.1-0.3%, compared to other fishery levels that range in bycatch from 10% to 55%. According to the report, understanding and controlling bycatch levels is essential for sustainable fishing and maintaining a healthy species population.
 
The total catch of Antarctic krill increased from 200,000 to 450,000 tons over 2010-2020, with the greatest increase occurring over the last three years.
 
“Overfishing is a big problem across the world’s fisheries,” said Pål Einar Skogrand, VP of policy and impact at Aker BioMarine, an ingredient supplier specializing in krill oil. “However, this new data is very positive and demonstrates how krill fisheries can operate sustainably by ensuring a healthy population of target as well as non-target species in its fishing area. The krill fishery’s low exploitation rate of the biomass, in conjunction with these new findings on the low bycatch, proves that the krill fishery operates well within ecosystem boundaries and is becoming a real model fishery on a global level.”
 
Krill is the world’s biggest biomass and is the most underutilized marine resource, according to Aker BioMarine, and the healthy size of the krill mass is leading to a growing abundance of whales and seals in Antarctica. This provides evidence that these animals can thrive in fishing areas such as the Southern Ocean without an imbalance to the ecosystem, according to the company.
 
Eco Harvesting
 
Eco Harvesting, a patented harvesting technology by Aker BioMarine, allows the company to continuously trawl for longer periods of time compared to traditional trawling. Hauling is regarded as high risk, specifically when the trawl is exposed and can lead to the bycatch of non-target species and entanglement of birds. Eco Harvesting can minimize this risk due ot fewer hauls, and the system is fitted with a mammal exclusion device and monitored by acoustic sensors to ensure mammals don’t enter the trawl.
 
“At Aker BioMarine, our Eco-Harvesting technology helps us harvest krill in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way,” said Frank Grebstad, SVP of vessel operations, Aker BioMarine. “The mammal exclusion device within our Eco-harvesting technology has most definitely played a role in the low bycatch numbers as it helps reduce the risk of by-catch. Our operating model on fishing ground allows us to fish the high-density krill aggregations, this is key to our strong bycatch record. If we were to chase the lower density krill swarms in Antarctica there would certainly be more bycatch of other species in the mix and the krill fishery would not be such a clean fishery.”
 
“Antarctic krill is, and will remain, a novel part of the solution for our future food systems, said Skogrand. “800 million people are depending on food from the ocean today, and by 2050 this number will double. This makes krill the world’s most abundant marine resource, not only an opportunity but a responsibility to utilize for health and nutrients. We already knew that the krill fishery is one of the best performing fisheries in the world in terms of ecosystem management, and this recent research indicates that it is also second to none in terms of how it actually operates and secures clean catches and low impact on the surrounding ecosystems.”