Photo by Torsten Dederichs

Two major European retailers and the first supplement manufacturer have committed to exiting the krill market entirely, in what Sea Shepherd Global describes as a significant and accelerating shift in market forces against the Antarctic krill fishery.

Germany’s dm-drogerie markt, Europe’s largest drugstore chain, with more than 4,000 stores across the continent, confirmed on 21 March that it will cease all sales of krill products, having already removed krill oil from its private-label range. The decision follows four consecutive Sea Shepherd expeditions to the Southern Ocean, during which the organisation documented industrial supertrawlers operating among foraging whale pods inside a proposed marine protected area, and submitted photographic evidence to dm alongside concerns about weakening regulations governing the krill fishery.

In a statement to Sea Shepherd, Kerstin Erbe, Managing Director of dm responsible for private labels and sustainability, said: “As a retailer with a clear commitment to sustainability, we want to play an active and positive role in shaping the future. The wishes and needs of our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Against this backdrop, we decided last year to stop using krill oil in our dm private-label products. Additionally, we have removed krill oil products from other manufacturers from our range. This decision aligns with our understanding of sustainable business practices and our conviction that we should offer a carefully curated and forward-looking product range.”

Days later, on 27 March, UK-based supplement manufacturer Time Health announced it would remove all krill-derived products from its range over the coming months — becoming the first supplement producer, as opposed to retailer, to sign the Antarctic Krill Pledge. A spokesperson for Time Health said: “As our understanding of the environmental considerations surrounding krill harvesting has developed, we have decided to sign Sea Shepherd’s Antarctic Krill Pledge and phase out krill-derived products. We recognise the ecological importance of krill within the Antarctic ecosystem and believe it is the right time to take a proactive position.”

Both announcements follow Holland & Barrett’s decision, made in October 2025, to fully exit the krill category by April 2026 – the first major UK retailer to do so – and its co-authorship with Sea Shepherd of the Antarctic Krill Pledge, which calls on signatories to phase out krill-derived products, not reintroduce them, and be transparent about divestment timelines.

Why krill matters

Krill are a keystone species in the Southern Ocean, converting energy captured by phytoplankton into food that sustains whales, penguins, seals and seabirds. Scientific evidence cited by Sea Shepherd suggests that krill densities around the Antarctic Peninsula – where much of the fishing occurs — may have declined by as much as 80% since the 1970s. A 2023 peer-reviewed study found that humpback whale pregnancy rates dropped from 86% in years of high krill abundance to as low as 29% following periods of reduced availability.

The fishery is operating under weakening governance. In 2024, a longstanding conservation measure requiring catches to be spatially dispersed across the region was allowed to lapse by CCAMLR — the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources — meaning fishing effort has become increasingly concentrated in biodiversity hotspots. Last season, the krill fishery reached its catch limit early for the first time on record, triggering an unprecedented early closure.

The certification question

The industry’s claim to sustainability is also under challenge. The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition and WWF, a founding partner of the Marine Stewardship Council, have formally objected to the MSC’s re-certification of the Antarctic krill fishery as sustainable and called for an immediate moratorium on krill fishing. It is a significant development given WWF’s role in establishing the very certification body now being challenged.

Peter Hammarstedt, Chief Campaigns Officer for Sea Shepherd Global, said: “For the past three years, our annual expeditions to Antarctica have documented the growing conflict between whales and industrial supertrawlers as they compete for krill, the primary food source for whales, penguins, and seals. Market forces are beginning to turn against the krill industry. The momentum sparked by Holland & Barrett is now driving a broader shift across Europe.”

On the significance of Time Health’s commitment, Hammarstedt added: “Protecting Antarctica demands decisive leadership across the entire nutraceutical industry – from retailers to suppliers – and Time Health’s example sets a clear standard for other producers to follow.”

Sea Shepherd’s vessel Allankay has recently concluded a six-week Antarctic expedition during which crews documented the ongoing conflict between whales and industrial supertrawlers competing for krill. Independent scientists aboard the vessel conducted line-transect surveys, drone-based measurements of whale-to-trawler distances, passive acoustic monitoring and photo-identification research, with findings expected to inform future decision-making at CCAMLR.