How is NOW’s Krill harvested?
Krill is a generic term used to designate a number of deep water marine crustacean species; a form of shellfish. It looks like miniature shrimp, ranging between one and six centimeters in length. These 85 species represent the planet's most abundant animal biomass, found in active zones that may extend over several square kilometers. Our Neptune Krill Oil (NKO®) is a patented material that comes from Neptune Biotech. Neptune sources its krill from the cold waters of the Antarctic Ocean.
Many studies have been undertaken which show that the biomass of Antarctic krill, one of the world's most abundant biomasses, may amount to 400-420 million tonnes (tons). Its annual natural reproduction cycle provides krill to offset natural mortality, feeds predators, provides harvest for animal feed, and supplies food for people.
The management and control of krill harvesting is overseen by the 25-state member Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which is the official international organization responsible for krill fishery management. The precautionary catch limits on the krill fishery are under constant review by the Scientific Committee of CCAMLR, which uses an ecosystem approach to management.
The precautionary catch limit set by the CCAMLR is 6.6 million tons for 2010 and is reviewed annually. It was increased from 4.9 million tons in 2005/06 based on the results of recent surveys. Less than 120,000 tons of the annually set total catch limit of 6.6 million tons are harvested by fisheries. By contrast, Antarctic baleen whales are estimated to consume 85 million tons per year. Less than 3% of the precautionary catch limit is actually harvested, and only a tiny percentage of that harvest is used to make krill oil dietary supplements.
Not only is the krill harvest overseen by scientists stationed on each ship who report to an independent regulatory commission, but the amount of krill harvested for human nutrition is only about 2% of the total harvest, with the vast majority going into animal feed.
NOW Foods is a leader in sustainability
Of course, the people at NOW Foods are concerned about the environmental impact of the materials utilized to produce our natural products. We have won a number of environmental awards, including the Earth Flag and the Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award. In the case of krill oil, customer concerns were aired and we took those concerns seriously. Our subsequent investigation has produced the information provided here. This gives us confidence that our krill is sourced from well-managed fisheries and does not have a significantly negative impact on the ocean’s ecosystem. The fact that CCAMLR, the responsible regulatory authority, has continued to increase its scrutiny and tighten the rules builds confidence in its ability to respond to any changes in ways that maintain environmental protections. In fact, it appears that krill harvesting from well-managed fisheries is one of the most sustainable ways to obtain essential omega-3 fatty acids from our oceans. The unique nutritional profile of krill, with three synergistic components (omega-3 fatty acids, astaxanthin, and phospholipids), makes it an especially bioavailable source of these important nutrients.
