Trawler for catching Atlantic krill. (Photo: Aker BioMarine)
Antarctic krill fishery once again awarded highest sustainability rating
WORLDWIDE
Tuesday, October 23, 2018, 22:30 (GMT + 9)
The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) has ranked the Antarctic krill fishery in “Very Good Condition” for the fourth year in a row, which is the highest ranking of fisheries for fishmeal or oil.
In the latest Reduction Fisheries Sustainability Overview published by SFP this fishery in the Antarctic has been granted an “A” rating for its well-managed krill fishery by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
The Convention Area represents around 10 per cent of the Earth’s oceans and has a surface area of 35,716,100 km2. (Source: CCAMLR)
“Aquaculture is a vital contributor to world food production but the industry needs more sustainable sources of omega-3 rich feed ingredients to keep the farmed fish healthy. This SFP ranking confirms the confidence in krill as a sustainable choice that we believe can be an important driver of sustainability in aquaculture production globally,” pointed out Pål Einar Skogrand, Sustainability Manager at Aker BioMarine.
SFP highlights that krill companies that operate in the Antarctic have invested in supporting ecosystem research over a long time and recalls that earlier this year, with the rest of the Association for Responsible Krill Harvesters (ARK) Aker BioMarine made a commitment to establish ‘buffer zones’ that restrict fishing up to 40 kilometers away from penguin colonies during breeding season.
Graph: ccamlr.org/en/fisheries/krill-fisheries
“This is a precautionary action to protect Antarctic wildlife while we wait for CCAMLR to establish a solid large-scale marine protected area around the Antarctic Peninsula. A good sustainability practice is good for business, and necessary for food production and the omega-3 industry overall,” Skogrand added.
The report analyzed 26 reduction fishery stocks worldwide and each one was placed into one of five ranked sustainability categories (A, B1, B2, DD, and C). In addition to the strength of the stock health, SFP’s report also looks at how well each fishery is managed (under precautionary and ecosystem approaches).
The 2018 SFP reduction fisheries report shows overall improvement in the sustainability of fisheries analyzed, which is very positive for the whole industry. 91 per cent of the total catch volume came from stocks that scored 6 or better (considered reasonably managed fisheries) which marks an eight per cent increase in performance compared to last year.
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