Kiill and Its Utilization: A Review 



JOHN D. KAYLOR and ROBERT J. LEARSON 1 



ABSTRACT 



This article is based on a review of the literature on 1) (he Antartic krill resource, 2) multinational efforts to use 

 krill as food, and 3) technological, economic, and marketing aspects of krill. The decimation of baleen whales, signifi- 

 cant krill predators, has brought about an apparent overabundance of this protein-rich crustacean. Since the krill 

 biomass exceeds the world's annual tonnage of fishery products, a close examination of the potential of krill stocks is 

 justified. 



Krill is an extremely rich source of protein and fat, and there is the potential of valuable byproducts such as chitin 

 and chitosan. However, the harvesting operation may prove to be one of somewhat low economic return. The 

 technology of using krili to form various food products acceptable to western preferences is not yet well developed. 

 Utilization technology seriously lags behind harvesting technology. 



Finding the potential value of krill requires an appraisal of 1) feasibility of producing krill products with a 

 reasonable degree of marketing acceptability, 2) the value of our lending technical assistance to some nation to achieve 

 the above, and 3) the economic and international pressures that are likely to favor those nations that are already com- 

 pletely subsidized and have vertical integration of their fisheries. 



It is widely believed that abundant, protein-rich krill could contribute substantially to the world protein food sup- 

 plies. Owing to the lack of development of a krill product possessing wide appeal and the unknown economic return of 

 this potential fishery, eventual success seems dependent on government-subsidized operations. 



INTRODUCTION 



The most abundant and yet relatively untapped marine food 

 source in the world is the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba Dana. 

 This shrimp-like crustacean has several features that enhance its 

 value for human food: 1) Biomass abundance that exceeds the 

 world's present total annual catch of all fish and shellfish, 2) a high 

 nutritive value, and 3) an ability to produce sustained annual 

 harvests of tens of millions of metric tons annually. 



These attributes prompted us to examine and review the 

 feasibility of using krill for human consumption, animal consump- 

 tion, and for other uses. Our approach was to first study the 

 literature on krill dealing with Antarctic explorations dating from 

 the years between World Wars I and II to the present. More impor- 

 tantly, we studied the literature on krill utilization generated in 

 about the last dozen years, principally by the U.S.S.R., Japan, 

 Poland, Federal Republic of Germany, and the Food and 

 Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 



Although more than half a century has been spent in studying 

 Antarctic krill, much is still unknown about it. Bakus et al. (1978) 

 stated, "The most important information gaps appear to be the 

 relationship between currents, surface rings, and krill distribution; 

 the biology of all Antarctic krill species, feeding habits of E. super- 

 ba in relation to its aggregation and the abundance of 

 phytoplankton; the exact location of krill spawning areas; the 

 causes and maintenance of swarming; longevity and mortality of 

 krill; the rates of predation on krill by squid and fish; and the role 

 of krill detritus in the Antarctic ecosystem." 



Technologists have been trying since the early 1970's to produce 

 acceptable krill products. Bardach and Pariser (1978) stated, 

 "Japan and Russia have each invested about $200 million towards 

 krill harvesting and utilization." Research expenses of this 

 magnitude are prohibitive for private industry. Only nations can 



'Northeast Fisheries Center Gloucester Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Ser- 

 vice, NOAA, Emerson Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930. 



afford to speculate to this extent, still fail to produce reasonably 

 marketable products, and still keep on spending for more research, 

 both biological and technological, in hopes of attaining success. 



A review of the many products that have been made from krill 

 shows that whole or nearly intact krill tail meat is the only product 

 that meets with generally wide acceptance (Grantham 1977). Suc- 

 cessful peeling at a high rate of speed and with a high yield, so far 

 has eluded the various investigators. 



While accurate figures on the economic return are not available, 

 we are certain that no krill expedition can be economically suc- 

 cessful unless it is equipped to process as many products as possible 

 from krill in addition to producing tail meats. These operations 

 would require a high degree of technology using sophisticated pro- 

 cesses and equipment. Some processes such as solvent extraction 

 and acid-alkali treatments aboard a moving ship will present 

 hazards over and above those to be expected ashore. 



From a political standpoint, some of the advanced nations simp- 

 ly will not wait once they have perfected their food technology 

 studies. We firmly believe that in < 5 yr Japan, Poland, and the 

 U.S.S.R. will be satisfied that they can exploit krill. Unlike our 

 concept of feasibility, theirs embraces more than economics. 



This article represents a five-part approach to the overall study. 

 The first part concerns the krill resource itself — its distribution, 

 magnitude, biological aspects, and pressures both present and an- 

 ticipated. The second deals with the harvesting of krill including 

 location and detection, harvesting, and the natural restrictions on 

 an unlimited fishery. The third discusses the processing technology 

 including fabrication into many forms for human consumption, 

 for animal food, and for byproduct use in the form of various 

 chemical products. The fourth deals with marketing krill. This in- 

 cludes a description of the types of food products made from krill 

 by various nationals, development of domestic or foreign markets, 

 and the need for market research and economic analyses. The last 

 part deals with the problems that can possibly be expected to arise. 

 Our intent is merely to call attention to their existence rather than 

 to attempt to solve the problems they may present. We present our 

 conclusions based upon a technological approach to utilization of 



