Krill oil has become one of the most popular omega-3 supplements on the market, sold in pharmacies and health food stores as a premium alternative to fish oil. What most consumers don’t know is where it really comes from — and what harvesting it is doing to one of the world’s last great wild places, Antarctica. Already suffering from the effects of climate change, the krill fishing industry is putting it under increasing pressure.
What is krill oil?
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans that swarm in vast numbers in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica. Krill oil is extracted from these animals and sold in capsule form as a source of omega-3 fatty acids — specifically EPA and DHA — which are associated with heart, brain, and joint health.
The industry markets krill oil as superior to fish oil because its omega-3s are carried in phospholipid form, which some manufacturers claim improves absorption. Health claims touted by the industry have very limited science to back them up. For example, this advantage is contested in the peer-reviewed literature: a randomised clinical trial published in PLOS ONE found no significant difference in plasma EPA and DHA levels between fish oil and krill oil at equivalent doses.
Why is it a problem?
Krill are not just a supplement ingredient. They are the foundation of the entire Antarctic food web, as the primary food source for whales, penguins, seals, and seabirds. Industrial krill fishing has expanded dramatically in recent years, with supertrawlers concentrating their effort around the Antarctic Peninsula, the most wildlife-rich region of the Southern Ocean. Krill biomass in parts of this area has declined by an estimated 70 to 80 percent since the 1970s.
At least six whale deaths have been linked to krill fishing operations. A 2024 Stanford University study found that the recovery of whale populations — slowly rebuilding after centuries of commercial whaling — is now being undermined by competition from the krill fishery for the same food source. Penguin and fur seal populations are under similar pressure.
Krill also play a critical role in the climate system, sequestering carbon by consuming surface algae and excreting dense pellets that sink to the ocean floor. Their declining numbers have consequences well beyond Antarctica.
The krill fishery carries an MSC sustainability certification, but in March 2026 both WWF and the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition filed formal objections to its re-certification, stating that the MSC had overlooked stark scientific evidence of harm. WWF has called for a full moratorium on krill fishing.
What should you take instead?
What the industry doesn’t advertise is that krill don’t make omega-3s, and neither do fish. Omega-3s originate in microscopic marine algae, in Antarctica’s case in phytoplankton, right at the base of the food chain.
Algal oil is widely available on the shelves already, with phytoplankton oil starting to follow suit. They provide the same EPA and DHA with comparable bioavailability, no marine contaminants, and no ecological footprint. These can be produced in enclosed, land-based facilities in Australia, removing the need to interfere with a fragile ecosystem. They are vegan-friendly with a clean supply chain.
The omega-3s you need have always come from plants. You can now get them directly from plants too.
