Independent review finds fishery meets Standard, but with additional conditions to strengthen ecosystem safeguards
The QRILL Company Antarctic krill fishery is set to be recertified as sustainable to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) Fisheries Standard, following a rigorous, independent reassessment process.
Antarctic krill are the most abundant wild animals on Earth by biomass and a keystone species in the Southern Ocean, where they are an important food source for whales, penguins and seabirds. Their central role in the ecosystem means they must be managed with exceptional care.
An independent review — the results of which are published today — was undertaken after two NGOs, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) and WWF-UK, lodged objections to the assessor’s initial recommendation for certification.
Following MSC procedures, the investigation by the oversight body, Assurance Services International, concluded the fishery can proceed to certification, with additional conditions to strengthen ecological safeguards.
The QRILL fishery was first certified to the MSC program in 2010, and this is its fourth reassessment. The independent Conformity Assessment Body LRQA carried out the initial assessment, examining whether the fishery is managing the stock sustainably, minimising impacts on the wider ocean environment, and operating under effective management.
In its draft report published in February 2026, LRQA highlighted precautionary measures which regulate the QRILL krill fishery. These include catch limits, which allow only around 1% of the estimated krill biomass to be fished, and a requirement for scientific observers onboard 100% of fishing trips. These requirements are set by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the international body responsible for conserving Antarctic marine life and managing Southern Ocean fisheries.
The report also noted that the QRILL fishery invests voluntarily in science and monitoring to improve understanding of krill biology and the wider ecosystem. It uses low-bycatch fishing gear technology and participates in an industry-led measure creating voluntary no-fishing zones around penguin colonies during the breeding season.
Following the ASI investigation, the assessor has raised further conditions on the certification, which the fishery must meet within a specific timeframe to remain in the program. Condition-setting is a routine part of MSC certification and is intended to incentivize further improvements in fishery performance.
The new conditions address how fishing can be managed locally to avoid intensive fishing in krill-rich areas, with potentially negative impacts for wildlife — particularly baleen whales — which rely on krill as a food source.
They were the result of the WWF-UK and ASOC contributions, demonstrating the value of stakeholder input in MSC’s certification process. The fishery must also resolve an existing condition by agreeing a management plan with CCAMLR, including how fishing levels would be adjusted if stock levels change or risks to wildlife increase.
The Qrill fishery’s recertification demonstrates that sustainable fishing is possible in the sensitive Antarctic environment, provided it is underpinned by independent oversight, precaution and accountability.