Thursday, June 17, 2010

Aker BioMarine Krill Fishery Gains MSC Certification

The Aker BioMarine krill (Euphausia superba) fishery has been awarded Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification following a rigorous, independent assessment against the MSC standard for sustainable and well managed fisheries.

Products from this Antarctic based fishery are now eligible to bear the MSC ecolabel, identifying their origin from a sustainable source. Only products that originate from the Aker BioMarine fishery are eligible to bear the MSC ecolabel.

The Aker BioMarine krill fishery operates in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. The management of all fishing activity in the Antarctic is overseen by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) established in 1982 to protect and manage the extensive marine resources of Antarctica.

At current levels, fishing pressure on krill is very low – less than one per cent of the most recent estimated biomass (estimated by CCAMLR to be 37 million tonnes).  Aker BioMarine catches between 40,000 and 50,000 tonnes annually, from a total allowable catch of approximately 3.5 million tonnes.

source: MSC press release

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