Mention krill and you might think of whales. However, a Norwegian company is currently building the world's most expensive trawler, costing $170 (about €125) million, to exploit fresh krill in the south Atlantic for the growing "functional food" market- and for aquaculture.
Krill oil is rich in bioactive compounds, including omega 3. It also contains astaxanthin which is described as one of the most powerful inflammation-reducing antioxidants found naturally. The same astaxanthin produces the red colour which is characteristic of salmonids - which is why it is also in demand for fish food for juvenile farmed species.
Japan has been chasing krill in the south Atlantic since the 1980s, but this new international interest in the fishery will undoubtedly arouse concerns about environmental management issues, such as the impact on whale populations.
Debates about enlightened management systems have a direct impact on the consumer, who wants to buy more fish but finds it both expensive and in short supply. The EU now imports 74 per cent of all seafood consumed - a reflection in part of its own flawed Common Fisheries Policy which has failed to manage a renewable resource.
In Ireland, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) reported a 15 per cent growth in retail sales when it announced its list of 2007 Seafood Circle - a network of over 100 restaurants, pubs, hotels and seafood retailers who meet criteria set by BIM inspection staff. It says that fresh fish sales rose by 13 per cent, and frozen by 18 per cent, last year.