According to global health and wellness brand Swisse, for example, its Swisse Ultiboost High Strength Krill Oil has not been stocked in Coles and Woolworths since 2024.
“The product was not meeting sales expectations in the supermarket channel, which was why the product was removed from the range,” a Swisse spokesperson said.
The product is still available in other retailers such as the discount pharmacy chain Chemist Warehouse.
The spokesperson added that the product contains krill oil sourced from Aker BioMarine, a Marine Stewardship Council-certified supplier that follows fishing practices designed to support the long-term sustainability of the Antarctic krill fishery.
At the same time, Swisse will continue to review the sustainability of krill oil within its product range and is exploring vegan alternatives.
In a media release on Sept. 2, the Bob Brown Foundation, an Australian environmental non-profit, stated that the removal of krill oil supplements in Woolworths and Coles came “on top of a long-running campaign by environmental groups to end the sale of these products, which are sourced unsustainably from Antarctica.”
Aker BioMarine views the removal of krill oil supplements primarily as an issue of the sales channels being unable to move the products.
“I’m confident that any retailer who says they’re delisting krill is doing it for performance reasons,” said Ross Norris, general manager Asia-Pacific at Aker BioMarine. “They are doing it because it doesn’t sell enough in their channels, and they’re seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the campaign.”
Coles confirmed that it no longer sells krill oil products but did not provide the exact reasons for removing krill oil products from shelves. Woolworths did not reply to a request for comment.
In another media release issued on Sept. 3, the Bob Brown Foundation stated that it had also urged Chemist Warehouse to follow suit and “dump krill oil”. The retailer declined to comment.
As of Sept. 22, krill oil supplements remain available through the online stores of Australian pharmacy chains such as Blooms The Chemist, Chemist Warehouse, Priceline and Terry White Chemmart, featuring brands like Swisse, Quality Health, Bioglan, Biosource, Bioceuticals and Blackmores.
“The channels that are delivering krill products to the consumers who need them understand the value of them and understand the sustainability credentials,” Norris said. “And when we sit down with brands or retailers to run them through the sustainability credentials of the krill fishery, in a hundred percent of those occasions, those conversations ended with them saying ‘we’re satisfied this is the most sustainable fishery you can get.’”
Krill oil demand and supply
Krill is harvested for various purposes. In addition to being used in omega-3 supplements for human nutrition, it is also processed into krill meal for aquafeed. In human nutrition, it is used to support brain, heart, liver and joint health.
Demand for krill oil is expected to continue growing, Norris noted, citing reasons such as the aging population, a booming pet supplement industry and a growing middle class in Asia-Pacific. Due to the fish oil supply crunch, some companies are also seeking to diversify their omega-3 ingredients by switching to krill oil or combining krill oil with fish oil or algae oil.
The company’s business has grown by 20% annually over the past four years, and it expects this momentum to continue.
Asked how production is keeping up with supply, Norris said there is plenty to meet demand. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) currently limits krill catches at 1% of the biomass.
“In terms of the fishery catch limits, those are currently set at 1% of the measured biomass of krill,” he said. “There is 99% being left in the ocean for predators and for maintaining the ecosystem. With the catch that we take at that 1%, we still have plenty of upside, so we have enough to satisfy our current demand plus that 20% annual growth well into the future.”
Most krill catches take place in the South Atlantic sector, also known as Area 48, as designated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Catches have been reported in the Indian Ocean sector, or Area 58, and the Pacific Ocean sector, or Area 88, albeit at a much smaller scale, and krill fishery activities have been almost exclusively focused in Area 48 since the 1990s.
According to a CCAMLR report, Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) caught in Area 48 reached its historical high in 2025, with 624,918 tonnes harvested. This exceeded the 620,000-tonne trigger level, and the fishery was subsequently closed on Aug. 1, 2026, marking its first closure.
Norris also highlighted Aker Biomarine’s use of eco-harvesting practices, in which the vessels trawl at a slow speed and use a Kevlar device designed to prevent marine animals such as whales and seals from entering the trawl.
“It is through those processes that we catch krill and have only 0.2% of bycatch, so 0.2% of what comes on the boat is not krill,” he said. “If you compare that with other fisheries, there can be up to 75% of bycatch. We’re very selective, so our eco-harvesting system, which we’re very proud of, ensures sustainability.”
Krill oil removal elsewhere
Earlier this year, UK-based Holland & Barrett announced that it would stop selling krill-based products by the end of April—an initiative out of environmental concerns.
“Krill are tiny, but they play a huge role in our planet’s health,” the retailer shared in a Facebook post in February. “They feed whales, penguins and seals. Protecting krill means protecting ocean life, and ultimately, the well-being of our shared planet.”
This is not the first time that Holland & Barrett has announced a halt to the sale of krill-based products. In April 2018, the retailer announced plans to remove all such products by the end of that year, replacing krill oil with algal oil and other fish oil alternatives.
This time round in 2026, Holland & Barrett also co-created the Antarctic Krill Protection Pledge with marine conservation society Sea Shepherd to encourage other retailers to phase out krill-derived products, not introduce krill-derived products in future ranges and to be transparent about the commitment.
According to Sea Shepherd’s website, 15 retailers have signed the pledge as of Sept. 22. These retailers include UK-based supplement manufacturer and retailer Time Health and German retailers Müller and Alnatura.
