Krill oil is sold as a clean, sustainable omega-3 supplement. The reality behind the label is considerably more complicated. Here are four controversies the industry would rather you didn’t know about.
1. A flawed ‘sustainable’ certification, currently under formal review
Krill oil products from Aker BioMarine, the company that catches two thirds of all krill harvested from the Southern Ocean, carry the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue tick. This is the same label consumers see on sustainably caught fish. In early 2026, the MSC re-certified the Antarctic krill fishery as sustainable.
Two of the world’s most prominent environmental organisations immediately filed formal objections.
WWF, which helped found the MSC in the late 1990s, called for an immediate review of the certification, arguing that concentrated krill fishing is causing localised depletion in the Antarctic Peninsula and directly harming humpback whales. A recent study of eight years of data on humpback whale pregnancies found that reduced krill availability due to concentrated harvesting leads to fewer pregnancies and therefore increased risk for the species. The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) filed a separate objection. Both organisations were formal observers to the certification process and stated that the MSC had overlooked the scientific evidence presented to it.
This is not the first time the MSC’s krill decision has attracted criticism. When the fishery was first certified in 2010, Greenpeace and the Pew Environment Group argued that scientific data on the fishery’s impact was lacking and that the certification was based on guesswork. Whole Foods Market responded by pulling krill oil from its shelves entirely.
The MSC’s broader credibility is also under challenge. A 2025 Greenpeace Austria assessment rated the MSC label as untrustworthy, concluding it provides the fishing industry a greenwashed image rather than genuine environmental assurance. Critics have long highlighted that fisheries pay between $20,000 and over $100,000 to assessors to obtain MSC certification, plus $75,000 per annual audit — a model that creates an inherent conflict of interest.
2. A Fishing Company Co-Designing Its Own Marine Protected Area
In January 2026, the Sustainable Markets Initiative (founded by King Charles III) launched the Ocean Stewardship Initiative, promoting a proposed marine protected area covering 70 percent of the Antarctic Peninsula. Conservation groups broadly support the establishment of this MPA — the issue is who designed it.
The Ocean Stewardship Initiative was developed in collaboration with Aker BioMarine and Aker QRILL Company, with advice from the Marine Stewardship Council. The world’s largest krill harvesting company is a co-architect of the marine protection initiative that will determine where krill fishing can and cannot take place. The MPA will be established alongside a krill fishery management framework, with fishing effort spread across the area that remains open and regulated.
Conservation campaigners argue that allowing the primary commercial beneficiary of krill fishing to help draw the boundaries of a marine protected area is a fundamental conflict of interest, and that the initiative’s high-profile backing — including from former US Secretary of State John Kerry — lends a veneer of legitimacy to what is, in practice, an industry-shaped outcome.
3. Marketing a ‘Sustainable’ Product While Defending the Unsustainable One
In April 2025, Aker BioMarine launched Revervia — a plant-based, algae-derived omega-3 supplement, marketed to vegan and environmentally conscious consumers. Revervia is positioned as a clean, sustainable alternative for consumers who demand both efficacy and sustainability.
Algal oil is not a new concept. It is, in fact, what krill eat — the original source of the omega-3s that krill oil companies have built a commercial empire selling. Producing omega-3s directly from microalgae bypasses Antarctic fishing entirely. The question being asked by campaigners is a simple one: if Aker BioMarine believes algae is a sustainable source of omega-3s good enough to market to environmentally conscious consumers, what does that say about the ecological cost of continuing to harvest hundreds of thousands of tonnes of krill from one of the world’s most sensitive ecosystems?
Revervia arrived on the market just as major European retailers were pulling krill products from their shelves, formal certification objections were being filed, and Attenborough’s *OCEAN* was bringing the footage of supertrawlers operating inside whale feeding grounds to a global television audience. The timing invites scrutiny.
4. The Science That Doesn’t Match the Marketing
A January 2025 industry report from analysts Tharos, *How Krill Oil Reached Our Lives*, examined the growth of krill oil as a commercial phenomenon. It found that long-term scientific evidence for health claims is often lacking, and that marketing has consistently outpaced the science.
The Changing Markets Foundation’s 2022 *Krill, Baby, Krill* report found that the MSC’s certification of the krill fishery makes no assessment of climate change impacts — a significant gap given that krill populations are directly affected by the loss of sea ice and ocean warming. The same report noted that Aker BioMarine operated for over fifteen years before turning a profit on krill oil — not a profile consistent with a financially stable, long-term industry.
Consumers looking at a krill oil bottle see a blue certification tick and health claims. They do not see the formal objections filed against that certification, the industry involvement in designing its own protected area, or the quiet launch of a vegan alternative by the same company that is ploughing through Antarctic whale feeding grounds.
The question to ask before buying is straightforward: if the industry’s own analysts acknowledge the science doesn’t support the marketing, and the world’s leading wildlife organisations are formally contesting the sustainability label — what, exactly, is the consumer paying a premium for?
References
- WWF Whales Initiative. “Mismanagement of Antarctic krill fishery putting whales at risk.” 6 March 2026. [wwfwhales.org](https://wwfwhales.org/news-stories/mismanagement-of-antarctic-krill-fishery-putting-whales-at-risk)
- German Ocean Foundation. “Objection to MSC certification of krill fishing.” March 2026. [germanoceanfoundation.org](https://www.germanoceanfoundation.org/news/objection-to-msc-certification-of-krill-fishing)
- Marine Stewardship Council. “Sustainable Markets Initiative launches new effort to turn Ocean commitments into action.” January 2026. [msc.org](https://www.msc.org/media-centre/press-releases/press-release/sustainable-markets-initiative-launches-new-effort-to-turn-ocean-commitments-into-action)
- Nutrition Insight. “Ocean Stewardship Initiative urges industry support for sustainable marine protection.” January 2026. [nutritioninsight.com](https://www.nutritioninsight.com/news/sustainable-markets-initiative-ocean-stewardship-antarctica-mpa.html)
- Aker BioMarine. “John Kerry joins the Ocean Stewardship Initiative as Champion.” March 2026. [akerbiomarine.com](https://www.akerbiomarine.com/news/john-kerry-joins-the-ocean-stewardship-initiative-as-champion)
- Nutraceutical Business Review. “Aker BioMarine launches Revervia.” April 2025. [nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com](https://www.nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com/aker-biomarine-revervia-launch-algae-dha-ingredient)
- Wikipedia. “Marine Stewardship Council.” [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Stewardship_Council)
- Greenpeace Aotearoa. “MSC’s deliberate deceit.” July 2024. [greenpeace.org](https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/press-release/mscs-deliberate-deceit-report-reveals-staggering-scale-of-their-fishing-industry-greenwash/)
- Changing Markets Foundation. *Krill, Baby, Krill*. 2022. [changingmarkets.org](https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM-WEB-REPORT-LAYOUT-KRILL-BABY-KRILL-FINAL.pdf)
- Tharos. *How Krill Oil Reached Our Lives*. January 2025. [aquafeed.com](https://www.aquafeed.com/newsroom/reports/tharos-releases-report-tracing-krill-oils-shift-from-aquafeed-to-human-nutrition/)
- Yahoo News Australia. “Calls for ‘immediate’ rule change over controversial product at Aussie chemist.” 2 March 2026. [au.news.yahoo.com](https://au.news.yahoo.com/calls-for-immediate-rule-change-over-controversial-product-at-aussie-chemist-061532628.html)
- *Krilling Antarctica*, updated report, 2025.
