<img alt="" src="https://secure.gift2pair.com/210343.png" style="display:none;">

We use cookies to ensure that the website works as intended and to collect statistics on its use so that we can improve your web site experience.

×
logo

Five Fun Facts about Krill

Blog overview

You may have heard of krill and you might even know about the studies that show how it benefits farmed fish and shrimp when added to the feed. But there’s so much more to learn about this fascinating crustacean! That’s why we’ve compiled the top five lesser-known “fun” facts for your krill-inspired reading pleasure. 

Krill is found in all oceans


One might not see krill very often, but this tiny shrimp-like creature can be found in each of the world's five oceans, which means that fish around the world naturally feed on it. Perhaps this is the reason they love the taste so much? Although krill is present in all oceans, they only swim in large swarms around Antarctica in the Southern Ocean.

 


Their biomass is twice the size of the human biomass

Biomass is defined as the mass of living biological organisms in a given area. The total weight of the krill biomass is around 500 million metric tons, which is twice the size of the human biomass. That makes krill one of the largest biomasses on earth. Krill swarms are even visible from space!
Read more on krill harvesting and sustainability here.

 

Krill can lay 10,000 eggs at a time

With such a tremendous biomass, krill is a much sought-after meal for whales, penguins, birds, and fish. To meet this demand, it’s fortunate that the female krill can lay up to 10,000 eggs at a time – sometimes even several times a season.

 


It’s low in the food chain

Krill is defined as a zooplankton. They eat phytoplankton or algae during winter, both of which are at the very bottom of the food chain. All other species in the oceans eat krill or species that feed on krill, which makes krill vital for life.

 


Army sustained on a krill diet 

In the 1960s and up until 1990, the Soviet Army was fed a diet of krill. The former Soviet Union had several boats in the Antarctic Ocean with a sole military purpose: to feed their army. The Soviets knew about the amazing nutritional qualities of krill and how it could meet the high nutritional demands for the soldiers. The krill was canned in small metal boxes, just like sardines, which made them last for a longer period.


To learn more about science and documentation of krill in fish diets, download our booklet below.

New call-to-action