Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 14 October 2023

Krilling Antarctica: New report details how Antarctic krill ends up on Australian and New Zealand shelves

Today the Bob Brown Foundation has released its new report entitled: Krilling Antarctica – Australia and New Zealand’s outsized role in krill fishing.

Some of the report’s major findings included:

1.     A BioMar factory in Wesley Vale, Tasmania uses 1200 tons or 3.3 billion individual krill a year to make salmon feed.
2.     100% of Australian pharmacies surveyed carried krill oil products.
3.     Both major supermarkets have krill on their shelves, with Woolworths stocking both krill fed salmon and krill oil supplements.

Krill are the foundation of the Antarctic ecosystem, however, a large fleet of supertrawlers targets krill to make krill meal, krill oil, and pet food.

In the summer of 2022/23, the Bob Brown Foundation travelled to Antarctica to document and expose the krill fishery. On that trip, we uncovered a clear wildlife conflict with supertrawlers documented fishing amongst a super pod of up to 200 fin whales. Upon return from this trip, the Bob Brown Foundation conducted a month’s long investigation tracing where krill ends up in Australia and New Zealand.

“The amount of krill products on Australian and New Zealand shelves is alarming,” said Alistair Allan, Bob Brown Foundation.

“Krill are the foundation of the Antarctic ecosystem. Whales, penguins, seals and seabirds in Antarctica all rely on krill to survive. Australian retailers shouldn’t be selling this product on their shelves.”

“With CCAMLR set to meet this Monday in Hobart, it is critical that all nations work toward ending krill fishing in Antarctica”

“There is growing evidence that krill fishing has a huge impact on animals like penguins and whales. Krill should be afforded total protection, and Australian retailers need to stop profiting off Antarctica’s destruction.”

https://endkrillfishing.org.au/