Article
As more of the seafood we eat comes from farms, a new challenge is taking shape below the surface. How do we feed billions of fish and shrimp efficiently and responsibly? Antarctic krill is part of the answer.
In the icy waters around Antarctica, a crustacean only a few centimeters long plays a surprisingly global role. Most of it ends up in feed for farmed shrimp in Asia and Latin America, with the rest going into salmon feed in Norway and other producing countries, and into omega-3 supplements consumed by people worldwide.
Its strength lies in what is packed into that tiny body. Rich in proteins and omega-3s, krill brings valuable nutrition and functionality to aquaculture feed, helping fish and shrimp get more out of what they eat.
More seafood now comes from farms
Wild fisheries have largely stabilized, while aquaculture has continued to grow. In 2024, farms produced more than 100 million tons of aquatic animals for the first time. Aquatic foods now provide at least one-fifth of animal protein intake for 3.1 billion people, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
With a growing global population, we will need that production. But more farmed seafood also means more mouths to feed underwater. So, what will all those fish and shrimp eat?
Traditional marine ingredients such as fishmeal and fish oil simply cannot expand at the same pace. And there will be no single ingredient to fill that gap. Future feeds will draw on a mix of marine, plant-based, and newer raw materials, with krill playing a particular role in that mix.
Naturally rich in marine proteins, omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, phospholipids, and astaxanthin, krill brings both nutrients and functional benefits to feed. It is attractive to fish and shrimp and can support feed intake, growth, feed efficiency, and resilience. Because it can be effective at relatively low inclusion levels, feed producers have greater flexibility to combine it with other raw materials.
Krill feed goes far beyond salmon
Atlantic salmon may be the face of krill-fed aquaculture in Norway, but most of Aker QRILL Company’s krill meal goes elsewhere. Around 60–70% of it is used in feed for farmed shrimp, according to company sales data.
Follow that shrimp production around the world and almost all of it leads to Asia and Latin America. The five largest producer countries – Ecuador, China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia – together account for roughly three quarters of global farmed shrimp. In these countries the industry is a serious economic engine: in Ecuador alone, farmed shrimp generated USD 7.5 billion in export earnings in 2025 and supports around 300,000 direct and indirect jobs. In India, the sector supports livelihoods across hatcheries, farms, feed mills and processing plants, with women making up a large share of the workforce.
In large parts of Asia the industry is built on smallholders. In India’s Andhra Pradesh state, which produces close to a million tonnes of shrimp a year, more than 90% of farmers work plots under two hectares. In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, shrimp farming has become the primary livelihood for hundreds of thousands of coastal households. For these farmers, feed is both the largest cost and the biggest lever on production. A feed that fish and shrimp eat more readily, convert more efficiently, and grow better on is not a technical detail – it feeds directly into household income.
For those farmers, how well feed performs has real-life consequences. Shrimp need to find it, eat it, and make efficient use of the nutrients it contains. Research has linked krill inclusion with increased feed intake and improvements in growth, survival, and feed efficiency under different farming conditions. But aquaculture isn’t the only way krill’s nutrients reach people.
How does krill contribute to human health?
Krill also provides nutrients directly through supplements. Krill oil is naturally rich in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which support important functions, including heart and brain health. In krill oil, much of this omega-3 is bound to phospholipids, which improve the transport and absorption of the fatty acids in the body. This combination of omega-3s and phospholipids is what distinguishes krill from many conventional fish oils.
Can Antarctic krill be harvested responsibly?
Using krill carries an added responsibility to protect the place it comes from. In Antarctica, krill sits at the heart of a remarkable food web, feeding on phytoplankton and becoming food for whales, seals, penguins, fish, and other species. The health of that ecosystem and the future of the fishery are inseparable.
That responsibility is also part of how the fishery is managed. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) takes a precautionary approach to management, designed to conserve Antarctic marine life while allowing its rational use. In Area 48, where most krill fishing occurs, the current catch trigger level is 620,000 tons. Where and when fishing takes place also matters, helping to limit concentrated pressure in areas where predators depend on krill.
Good management depends on understanding what is happening across the Antarctic ecosystem. Aker QRILL Company’s fishery is MSC certified, and the company invests in scientific research, monitoring, and harvesting technology to better understand and reduce its impact on the Antarctic ecosystem.
Krill has a valuable role to play in a changing global food system. It can help farmed fish and shrimp get more from their feed, support aquaculture production across continents – from Norwegian salmon pens to shrimp farms in Ecuador, India and Vietnam – and provide omega-3 directly to people. But realizing that value depends on protecting the Antarctic ecosystem it comes from. There can be no long-term value in krill without a healthy Antarctica.