The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported in its Review of the State of World Marine Fishery Resources 2025 that all Antarctic fisheries, including the krill fishery, are sustainably managed under robust, science-based international regulation.

“In the Antarctic, 100 percent of the stocks assessed are fished sustainably,” FAO reported. “This is the first time this region has been included in this report, and while small in volume, these fisheries demonstrate what is possible with ecosystem-based management and international cooperation.”

“This is the event of the year. Anybody who knows how much effort is needed to carry out a single analytical stock assessment can appreciate the amount of work needed to carry out more than 2,000 assessments and compile their results into a comprehensive and structured report like this one,” said David Agnew, executive secretary of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), an international organization tasked with establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Southern Ocean. “This report also includes uncertainty, which is crucial to design monitoring programs and provide capacity to those areas in need.”

Krill Fishery Closure

These findings are especially relevant, given the Antarctic krill fishery’s unprecedented early closure this summer, months in advance of the end of the season. Breakdowns in policymaking at CCAMLR, which includes 27 member states, led to a failure to establish a new Marine Protected Area then, drawing in criticism from a group of sustainability organizations. MPAs are established to prevent trawling activity in “hot spots” which serve as a feeding ground for animals that prey on krill.

However, while CCAMLR failed to establish protected areas, voluntary measures by krill fishing operations took place. “Fishing activity this season was geographically spread out – upt to 450 kilometers between vessels – and voluntary 30-40 kilometer buffer zones around penguin colonies were maintained, covering about 74,000 kilometers in the Antarctic Peninsula,” said Pål Skogrand, chief policy officer at Aker Qrill Company, a spin-off of Aker BioMarine, at the time. Aker actively supports CCAMLR’s adoption of a new marine protected area, along with certain revisions to allow for growth, he said.

CCAMLR meets on an annual basis, and the next meeting is slated to take place in Hobart, Australia this month, where member states will consider the adoption of new MPAs.

Sustainability Partnerships Prevail

“This confirmation from FAO reinforces what science has shown for years, that the Antarctic krill fishery is among the most strictly regulated and sustainably managed fisheries in the world,” said Matts Johansen, CEO of Aker BioMarine. “Sustainability has been a fundamental part of our company since before our first vessel entered the Southern Ocean. We built our entire operation on transparency, science, and long-term stewardship.”

Even in the absence of MPAs, CCAMLR still sets catch limits at a small fraction of the estimated krill biomass to ensure the health and resilience of marine ecosystems, Aker noted. “Conservation and sustainable use can go hand in hand,” Johansen said. “As an active contributor to the CCAMLR discussions, we are working closely with stakeholders and member nations to advance new high-protection MPAs based on sound science – measures that protect the Antarctic ecosystem while ensuring responsible operators can continue to contribute to ocean stewardship and food security.”

Aker BioMarine said FAO’s conclusions reaffirm the importance of continued collaboration, transparency, and science-based management, and through Aker Qrill Company, the operations will continue in close partnership with research institutions, NGOs, and regulatory bodies.